Winds Of Change Vol1 The Gathering Storm
by RGZ Archer
Summary: Winds of Change VolI How can one change? How does one change? These are two important questions, each with very different answers. Will Kai be able to learn them in time to stop a new and unseen threat to Atmos? Will he even be able to learn them at all?
1. The Discovery!

Return of the Mirage

Winds of Change.

Chapter 1 The Discovery!

IMPORTANT! Please read absurdly long AN before reading the story.

AN: Ok, I can tell that some people are probably rolling their eye's and saying, "Archer, you've got four stories already, try finishing one of those up before moving on to something else." Well, normally, I'd be inclined to agree with those people. However, I have no intention of either Broken Wing or Yesteryears ending anytime in the near future, The One Year Flight has only just reached the ten percent completion mark, and I have plenty more chapters of Total Drama Terra planned (each of the twenty five challenges takes up two chapters, one for the challenge and a second for the voting off bit.) But this is something else entirely. This will be my first true stand alone story. I wanted to change a few things about my OC Kai, and I thought rather than just having him change overnight; why not make it believable? This story revolves around a theory that I have been working on for a little while now and first brought to readers attention in chapter four of Broken Wing. My theory is that Atmos is really Earth in the distant future after some cataclysmic event, and the super advanced "Ancients" are in actuality present day us.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal and this story.

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Looking through his binoculars, Kai surveyed the camp. It was heavily guarded, as he had expected. Then, he saw him.

I.J. Domiwick

The man was becoming quite the nuisance lately. As much as Kai hated to admit it, they guy was good at his job. Once an explorer adventurer, the man made a career not too long ago and became an adventurer capitalist.

In laymen's terms, he was a hired grave robber and tomb plunderer.

In the last year he had managed to make several great finds, all for Cyclonia. Gone were the days he searched for lost cities or forgotten terra's, now he searched for artifacts of the ancients, more specifically, weapons.

Thanks to Rose, Kai had seen through her eyes just what some of these artifacts were capable of. Some would leave him nauseous for days on end, while others would rob him of sleep for nearly a week. That was the reason he kept such a close eye on Domiwick, to insure that he never got his hands on anything too dangerous. He knew it would be impossible to prevent him from finding everything, so he focused on stopping him where it mattered.

Three days ago, Ayrgyn the Skeelur had once again sent him out on a mission. Kai didn't mind them for the most part; as they gave him something to do, and on occasion, an excuse to see old friends. Ever since the Cabion, Ayrgyn would alert Kia when there was any serious problem regarding anything related to the Ancients. This was due to their sensitive nature. Very few people had the proper respect of these items, and even fewer could be trusted with them. Kai was one of the very few that understood that something's were buried and forgotten for a reason, and should stay as such.

That was why instead of training, studying, or, more preferably, sleeping. Kai was hiding in a tree in near hundred degree temperatures while under constant assault from various biting insects.

"Well, I've got six more hours till I can do anything, might as well take a nap." Kai shifted his position so that he would be a bit more comfortable while at the same time not be in any danger of falling out of the tree.

"Well, well, looks like you're keeping busy."

Kai jumped at hearing the familiar voice. "Ayrgyn! What are you doing here?! And how did you get in?"

The man just smirked. "Oh I was just in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in. Ugh, I see your sense of taste hasn't changed." He said looking around at the sparse conditions.

"It's my base, besides, it suites me just fine. Now, why are you here, I knew you don't just randomly drop in for no reason." Kai said as he leaned against the wall.

"Ah true, true. Time's always on the run. Of course, if so many were trying to kill me, I'd be too."

Kai just rolled his eyes. "Seriously, what is it? You only come around when something really bad is going on. Cyclonis find some new crystal? Snipe grew a brain?"

"Starling finally accepting Harrier's proposal of marriage?" Ayrgyn caught the book right before it hit him in the face and smiled.

"Since you seem to be in such a joking mood, I'm guessing it's nothing major, which means I'm going back to bed." As he got up though he found himself hovering a few inches off the ground. "Not this again. I learned my lesson, I work in teams remember?" Kai groaned.

"You learned a little, but you're far from learning the complete lesson boy." Sitting down he turned to Kai and gave his usual grin. "Besides, wasn't last time fun? You got to meet some new people, make a few friends, and, you even had a shot at getting a life." He said counting off on his fingers.

Remembering what happened last time, Kai took a deep breath to keep himself calm. He already knew that he was no match for the green hared prankster. "I was glad to be of service in aiding the Sky Knights, and I am thankful that we were able to save the others. But I would appreciate it if you did not comment on my personal life." He replied evenly.

"Ptth personal life he says. I've seen rocks that had more of a personal life than you boy. But that's for another time. It seems that Domiwick has been poking around and might have actually come across something dangerous." His face and voice switched from joking to serious.

"So what is it this time? A sword that can turn people into fish?" Kai said sarcastically.

"Nope, fortunately, the Harring Blade is still hidden. Tell me, how versed are you in lore?"

It took a few seconds for Kai's brain to register; he was still slightly dazed from finding out that the sword was in fact real. "Lore? You mean like old legends and stuff? Pretty well I guess. Why?"

"It seems that Domiwick has found something of interest." Seeing that he now had Kai's attention he continued. "After the cave in at terra Xoam, Domiwick was able to find a second chamber within the temple treasure room."

"I'm not surprised that he survived, cockroaches are usually hard to kill. But what did he find?"

"I'm not quite sure what he found. It was a wall carving, but he destroyed it after making a copy, which he carriers on person at all times." Kai couldn't help but notice Ayrgyn had a rather annoyed look about him.

"But I thought you knew all about these artifacts and…stuff." He said.

"I have been around for quite some time boy, but there are some things that far older than I."

"Like what? Your sense of humor?" Kai joked. When the look on Ayrgyn's face didn't change though, he knew that whatever was going on must be serious.

"I believe it was a map that he found. As to what it is to, I haven't a clue." Ayrgyn laughed at his little rhyme before getting up. "Go to terra Xome, that is where the new dig site is. You need to find out what it is they are searching for, and either get to it first, of take it before it can be used."

When Kai looked back, he was gone.

"Great, what am I? His errand boy or something." Kai muttered before heading to the hanger.

"SIR! We've found it!"

Kai woke with a start. Judging by the amount of light, he guessed that it was late afternoon. _"This is bad; I won't be able to see straight for at least another hour."_ Hopping out of the tree, he crouched down as low as he could._ "I need to get keep them here for the night, if they go now, I'll never catch them."_ Looking around, he saw that there wasn't much equipment around, but he did see one dozer that was in use. _"Oh this is going to be fun."_

When he saw that the driver was about to turn off the dozer, Kai put his plan into action. It wasn't anything big, just a very small illusion. Though he was able to make much larger ones, he found that sometimes, the smallest of things can have the biggest of impacts.

In this case, it was a three foot long grey and olive colored snake; more commonly know as, a black mamba.

The results were both quick, and what he had expected. The man screamed and jumped out of the still moving vehicle. When everyone turned to see what the commotion was about, they were met with the sight of a dozer blowing into and running over their skimmers and heliblades.

Doing his best no to laugh at their plight, but not quite succeeding, Kai returned to the tree he had been using and waited for night fall. _"Their not going anywhere. Ok, now, back to my nap."_

Things were pretty uneventful after that, instead of heading into the camp after an hour, Kai decided to wait for several, so not only would his vision be better, but it would also make it harder for him to be seen. He almost laughed when he saw the men make a large fire in the center of the camp as he moved in.

"_Good, these guys are idiots, so it shouldn't be too hard to get in and out without being seen."_ Kai, like every other hunter knew that at night, a person could actually see better without a large source of light. A bonfire would light up everything within fifty or so feet, but it would prevent you from seeing any further than the light barrier it formed, not to mention that it also negated a person's ability to see movement. (1)

Once inside the camp, it didn't take too long for Kai to find Domiwick's tent. It was about the size of a small two story building and had guards posted at its one entrance. "Well, looks like I'll just have to make my own door." Moving around to the back side of the tent, he was sure that he could hear snoring, which meant he was close. Smiling, Kai flicked out his slicer blade and cut through the material with ease. It only took a few seconds to make a decent sized hole.

Then the lights came on.

"Well well, looks like we have our selves a thief." Domiwick grinned. "Let me guess, you're here to take my little find aren't you?"

"Perhaps, if it is small, then yes, but if it was big I was going to just break it." Was Kai's reply.

Several talons had surrounded him at this point. One more talon came into the tent and stood beside Domiwick.

"You're that little runt that keeps interfering with my work." Walking around him, Domiwick sized him up. "Your no Sky Knight, and your certainly not part of any squadron, so tell me, why do you pester me so?"

The black clad teen narrowed his eyes, but remained silent.

"Someone with your skills would be a benefit to my cause. You seem to have, some level of understanding as to my work, otherwise you wouldn't focus solely on me." Several seconds passed and still he remained silent.

"Sir, what do you want us to do with him?" One of the talons asked.

"Take him in. Master Cyclonis should find him intresting." Domiwick turned to leave.

"Just try." A small grey crystal was thrown to the ground and the tent was filled with smoke.

"IDIOTS! Make sure he doesn't escape!" Domiwick yelled.

A few seconds passed and the smoke cleared to reveal a dozen Kai's, and no talons.

"What? Where are my men!" Domiwick shouted in panic.

One of the Kai's turned to him. "Uh boss, what are you talking about?" That's when the talons all noticed that not only did they all look the same as the intruder, but that the intruder was now missing.

"Hey, I thought there were only twelve of us before he dropped the smoker." One of the "smarter" (read, has an I.Q. that is a double digit) said.

Counting quickly, Domiwick realized what had happened. During the smoke screen, the intruder had placed himself in the surrounding formation. _"So, he's still in here."_ Stroking his chin, Domiwick came up with a plan. Reaching into his vest, he quickly pulled out a handful of crystals and threw them at the group. Seconds later, they all fell to the ground. "Paralysis stones. Never know when an angry mob of tribesmen will come chasing after you." Looking over to the one remaining talon, the one that had been by his side the entire time, Domiwick grinned.

"Nice. But I think my plan worked better." The talon grinned. Before Domiwick was even able to register what was happening, he was struck in stomach and collapsed to his knees. "Thanks for taking care of the other guards by the way." The talons uniform melted away in its place was the intruder from earlier. (2)

"But…but..how?" Domiwick gasped between breaths.

"It wasn't hard to tell you had a trap waiting for me. So after making the hole I switched knocked out one of your guards and took his place."

"But, how did?" Before he could finish Kai nailed him with an uppercut and knocked him out.

"Why would I tell an enemy how my abilities work or what skills I have?" Shaking his head, Kai went started searching the tent. It didn't take too long for him to find what he was looking for; he just looked for the box that had the most locks on it. _"Do I really want to spend the next two days picking all those things open?"_ Taping his chin thoughtfully, Kai made his decision. _"Nah."_ Bringing his staff out, he slammed the butt end down and smashed the first lock off, then the second, third, forth and fifth. That's when he ran into a problem.

Number six.

Kai glared at the last lock. It was the only thing that stood in his way. _"Why couldn't you have been like your brothers and just die? Oh no, you had to go and be little Jonny Live-a-lot!"_ Not only was it the last lock, it also happened to be the smallest. Putting some distance between himself and the box, Kai leveled his staff and fired a barrage of crystal blasts. When the smoke cleared, he could see the box was now dented and covered with blaster scores, but the lock was still intact. In fact, it almost looked shinier than it had been before. "This is some kind of joke right? What does it take to make this thing OPEN!"

_Ptnk_

Kai's jaw nearly fell off. "Know what? I'm not even going to ask." Opening the box he was surprised at what he found. "A book?" Picking it up, he noted that it was rather large, about the size of a dictionary.

"Ugh."

"Looks like the locals are waking up, time to fly." Tucking to book under his arm, Kai took off for his skimmer.

A few hours later he had made it back to his base at terra deep. The old shipwreck had served as his base of operations for about a year, but he had yet to refer to it as his _home_. Sure, he lived in it, but there was deference.

"_I really need to patch that hole up."_ Kai thought as he circled around to land. It was just one of the numerous things he had on his 'get around to it later' list that seemed to keep growing.

"So, what did you find?" Though marginally startled, Kai wasn't too surprised to see Ayrgyn waiting for him.

"Not much, just a book." Kai held out the leather book in one hand.

Ayrgyn took it and flipped it open. "Hmm that's odd."

"What? Don't tell me I went through all that work for some ancient cook book." Kai said agitated.

"Believe it or not, I can't read a word in it."

This did surprise him. "I thought you knew all about the ancients. What do you mean you can't read it?" Kai knew that Ayrgyn was much, much, older than he looked. Not quite as old as Rose, but he had been around for over a thousand years.

"I do, but this is not their writing. It's something else, similar, but not the same." He replied.

"How can it be similar, and you not be able to read it?" Kai asked raising an eyebrow.

"The lettering is the same, but the words have no meaning." Ayrgyn said slightly annoyed.

"So then…it's useless?" Kai groaned. "I could have been sleeping, but no, I got sent out to retrieve a thousand year old crossword puzzle book."

"Nah, they had a different kind of cover. Besides, if it was a crossword puzzle book, the letters would be alighted in even rows." Kai couldn't tell how much of that had been a joke and how much had been serious.

"So what now? Can I go back to sleep? Or do you need me to find a two thousand year old newspaper to go with it?" Kai asked sharply.

"Do I need to teach you another lesson in respect boy?" Ayrgyn asked.

"Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. I wont fall for the same trick twice, so illusions wont work, I know you wont physically hurt or maim me, so I doubt you'd kill me, and I know for a fact you cant do squat to make my dreams any worse. So tell me, what do you intend to do?"

Ayrgyn remained silent and shook his head. "If this is the life you really want, I'm not going to say anything more about it. Just remember, locking yourself up doesn't change the past, nor does it make up for it."

Kai snorted.

"Isolation isn't healthy for anyone, even _she_ knows this. You should get out more often; it'd do you some good." Ayrgyn was about to leave when Kai called out.

"Hey, aren't you going to take your book?"

Looking over his shoulder, Ayrgyn smiled. "I've got plenty. You keep it." Then, he transformed into a hawk and flew off.

Picking up the book, Kai thumbed through a few pages. "Bah, I have no use for something I can't even read." Setting the book down Kai went back to bed. _"Maybe Piper would enjoy it; she always seems to enjoy puzzles."_ He couldn't help but give a slight laugh when he remembered his last little visit to the teen team.

End Chapter 1.

(1): This is actually true. Human eye's are like any other predators. They are specifically designed to focus on movement. This is especially true at night. So while you might not be able to see exactly what something is, you can easily see something moving at night if you have just a little bit of light. Also the light barrier thing is true as well. Next time you go camping, try to focus on something that is outside the fires light barrier, you'll find that it's impossible. However, if you travel outside the light barrier, you can see further, though less clearly.

(2) When Kai uses his illusion powers to mimic a person, or to change his cloths, and when he changes back, the effect is basically the same as Mistuqe's transformation power in the live action X-Men movie. Only it's got a light grey glow to it as well.

AN: Ok, I know that Kai seems to be a bit bitter, but that is fairly common for someone that spends long periods of time alone. This story will be focused on two things, one is Kai finally getting a Carrier, the other is his (forceful) change in personality. You'll understand. Lastly, if anyone wants their OC's to have a cameo appearance in this thing, drop me a PM or say it in a review. I can't make any promises, but I'll do my best. I have already contacted the authors whose OC's will have a major role in this thing, and theyall said yes. So no sicking the admins on me!


	2. Translation

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 2 Translation.

AN: Welcome to chapter 2 of Winds of Change! I'll try to keep AN's to a minimum in the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal and this story.

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

The next morning, after waking up and going through his usual morning rituals, Kai found himself sitting at his desk looking through the ancient tome he had found the previous day._ "I can't even read this thing, but at least some of the pictures are pretty interesting."_ The book was odd, no other way to put it. He was able to guess that it was some sort of log book based on the nearly identical wording that started at the top left of every page, but he had never seen a log book before that included sketches or maps.

After several hours of flipping through the pages, Kai's curiosity finally got the better of him._ "Domiwick_ _was after it, so it must be important. The question though, is why."_ Groaning, Kai got up and flipped on his seldom (read as next to never) used radio.

"Condor one come in. Condor one, can you read me?" Kai let go of the receiver and waited.

"Uh, this is Condor one speaking. Who is this?" A familiar female voice responded.

"Good to hear your voice Piper. This is SS calling. Just wondering if you guys would mind my dropping in for a little visit." Releasing the receiver Kai waited.

"SS? Who is…OH! Sure, nothing really going on right now. I'll let the guys know your coming." The radio then clicked off.

"_I hate that moniker, but it's the only thing I can use that she'd recognize, and I can't risk using my name over the open air."_ After packing a small bag and making sure the book was safely tucked away, Kai revved the skimmers engine and took off down the short runway.

The flight wasn't very long; but Kai knew that he was lucky. Normally it would take him anywhere from a full day to a week to reach the Condor, however this time it was only a six hour flight.

The Condor pulled around to face him and the large bay doors opened. When Kai was sure that he was properly aligned, he switched the skimmer into its land mode and landed.

Once inside the doors closed and the lights cut on. _"Great I only just got here and they already have the welcome wagon set up waiting for me. Joy."_ Climbing off his skimmer, Kai put his staff on the set and held his arms up over his head. "The only weapons I'm carrying are those on my skimmer and my staff." He called out.

Aerrow walked straight up to him. "Look, we don't want any trouble, Starling's not here, we don't know where she is, we haven't even heard from her in almost a month."

"Woah wait up. I'm here to see Piper. I know where Star is, we just spoke a few days ago." Reaching into his back pack, Kai pulled out the old worn tome and held it up to Aerrow.

"What's this?" Aerrow eyed the book suspiciously.

"I don't know. That's why I'm here; I was hoping that Piper could tell me." Kai knew that he had to be on his best behavior. The Storm Hawks generally got along with anyone, but at the same time, they had enough strikes against them from the Sky Knight Council, and Kai was pretty much a walking penalty shot.

This was the main reason that not many people were willing aid Kai. Anyone that was allied with him earned the ire of the council, and while they were unable to do much, they were still able to cause problems.

Aerrow eyed the book, and then looked back to Kai. "Alright, but if you're on the run."

Kai laughed. "If I was on the run, I have much better hiding places to choose from. Don't worry." Kai grinned as the two walked up to the bridge.

Looking around Kai saw that everyone was present and he felt slightly nervous. _"I hate being in the spotlight."_ Kai cleared his throat and pulled out the old book and sat it on the table. "Yesterday, I…" Kai knew he had to be careful about how much he told, but he didn't want to lie, not if he was trying to stay in the kids good graces. They might be young, but they were far from stupid. "Yesterday I managed to track down and find a Cyclonian excavation site."

This grabbed the crew's attention.

"Apparently, Master Cyclonis has employed Domiwick to find ancient relics for her to use in the war effort. What you see before you, is the item they were after. To answer your questions, no, I don't know what it says because I can't read it. I know that it's got to be something very big or very bad based on the number of guards I had to get through, and no, I was not being followed." When he finished he walked up to Piper and handed her the book. "Could you please take a look at it and tell me if you can figure it out?" He asked.

"Why don't you take it to the council?" Aerrow asked with his arms crossed.

Kai took a deep breath before answering. He was however, happy to see that he was not the only person to get riled up over that comment. Shadow had a scow on her face, but since she was behind the others they couldn't see it. "Look, it's pretty much common knowledge that I don't have a good history with the council. If I brought this to them, they would find some way to make it look like I was helping Cyclonia. Besides, I _help_ fight the Cyclonians, I'm not part of any squadron, so I don't _have_ to tell them anything if I don't want to." He could see that Aerrow was not exactly pleased with this answer, so he continued. "Look, I'm just trying to stay a step ahead of Domiwick and Cyclonis. This might be something big, but it could just as well be something very small. I don't want to waste a lot of time or resources on something that turns out to be a dud. If it is something major, we'll see what happens."

Piper was thumbing through the pages as the two talked. "I can't read this language, whatever it is."

"Well, sorry, but it looks like you've wasted your time." Aerrow was cut off by Piper.

"You didn't let me finish. I might not be able to read the language, but I can still figure out what it says. Just like code breaking, it'll just take me a little while to figure out." Piper smiled warmly and Aerrow backed off….slightly.

Three days had passed since Kai had arrived on the Condor. He had tried his best to stay out of their way, while at the same time helping out wherever he could, doing little things like cleaning or helping with repairs. They kept a strict watch on him, but since he was used to it, he just ignore it.

"I figured it out!" Kai nearly jumped out of his skin when Piper slammed a notebook down on the table. Looking her over, he couldn't help but notice a few things. She was far paler than usual, also she seemed to be shaking and twitching. Lastly there were the dark bags hanging beneath her eyes. _"Please don't tell me she's actually spent the entire last three days working on this thing. She had to sleep at some point."_

"How did you figure it out if you can't even read it?" Shadow asked.

"Simple, I used the code breakers method." Piper smirked.

"The what?" Finn asked.

"The code breakers method. I took the most commonly occurring symbol and guessed that it was E. I wasn't able to figure out much else until I recognized the format. It's the same as the Condor's old log book." Piper beamed.

"How did that help figure out what it says?" Junko asked as he scratched his head.

"Back in the golden age's, it was the captain who would fill out the log books, and captains usually always talk about "their ship". So all I did was take the word that appeared the most often, and put the word ship in its place. That combined with my earlier guesswork gave me the translation of five different symbols. Using these, I was able to figure out the rest."

"Piper, you are truly one of a kind." Kai grinned and was surprised to hear her giggle. This of course caused Aerrow to glare at Kai, who knew he needed to fix the problem if he didn't want to be kicked out of the Condor while in the upper stratosphere. "I don't think I would have ever figured that out. Where did you pick that up?"

"I studied the ancients for a while." At this point Kai noticed that her face drooped. "It's the method that Domiwick used to find the Forbidden City, according to his book."

The color drained from Kai's face.

"Um, dude. Are you ok?" Finn asked waving his hand in front of Kai's face.

"Piper, what did you find out?" Aerrow asked, already on the same line of thinking as Kai.

"Like I said, it's a log book from one of the ancient's air ships. But there are some things that just don't make sense. It's more of a guide than anything else." Piper said rubbing some sleep from her eyes.

"Oh no."

Everyone turned to look at Stork.

Putting down the note book, Stork looked up to meet the others gaze. Finn, Junko, and Shadow all noticed the worried look he now shared with Kai and Aerrow.

"Would somebody tell me what's going on?" Shadow asked.

"If that is indeed a captain's log book." Kai swallowed.

"Then the only reason it wouldn't be on his ship." Aerrow continued.

"Would be if the captain took it with him from the ship." Stork finished.

"Soooo, why is that a bad thing?" Finn asked still not understanding.

Then Piper looked up. "A captain goes down with their ship. If the log book was taken by the captain, it was because he intended to return to the ship."

"So that means that…" Junko squinted his eyes in thought.

"It means, that the ship still exists. The captain was attacked while away from the ship, but there is still a chance that the ship is hidden somewhere." Kai said.

"So? Why is that a bad thing?" Shadow asked. "I mean, what good is a two thousand year old air ship?"

"The Ancients technology was far more advanced than our own. They created the Aurora stone, the Cabion, the Shadow crystal. Heck, their responsible for the Black Gorge." Kai said, still in a dazed state.

"Not to mention the Storm Engine and the Forbidden City." Stork added.

"But, you have the book right? How could they possibly find it if you got to it first?" Shadow asked, and only then noticing Kai's downcast face.

"Because, I didn't find it first, Domiwick did. He had it for close to six hours before I was able to steal it." Kai punched the wall as hard as he could.

"That means that he probably made a copy of the text in case something happened to it." Piper groaned.

"Piper, do you think that you can lead us to where the ship might be hidden?" Aerrow asked seriously.

The young teen nodded while biting her lip. "I think so, but it could be hidden anywhere. The log books organized by location not date. I would have to chart it out and figure out where they had come from and where they were going. There are a few maps, but the terra's names are different. It will take me some time, but yeah, I think I can find it."

"Good. As soon as you figure out the first location we're moving out. I want everyone else to check supplies and make sure that we're not low on anything critical. Shadow, I want for you to contact the council and tell them that we have a priority one alert." Aerrow was cut off before he could finish.

"No. You will do no such thing."

Aerrow turned to glare at the older teen. "You have no authority to give orders on my ship. What's more, your part in this is over."

"If you want to prevent Master Cyclonis from getting her hands on that ship, you will listen to me." Kai replied sternly.

"So what? You going to tell her where it is if we don't let you have it or something?" Aerrow's tone had become harsh.

"No. "I've told you that I am not a spy, and I'm certainly no traitor. But if you contact the council, it will make things worse than they already are." Kai said trying to maintain his cool.

"Um. I'm confused." Finn said raising his hand.

"Think about it. What will happen if you alert the council? They'll pull every squadron that they can get their hands on. Master Cyclonis will see this and respond in kind. Her forces might be made up of a bunch of idiots and morons, but she still outnumbers us twenty to one. As long as it looks like nobody is paying any mind to it however, Domiwick won't get any more aid than he already has." Explained Kai.

"Aerrow, he's right. Master Cyclonis has spies both in and around the council, and any major shift in activity will no doubt catch her attention." Piper said placing an arm on his shoulder to try and calm him down.

Finally after what seem like hours, Aerrow sighed. "Alright, I guess you're right. Looks like we're on our own with this one." Aerrow noticed that Piper suddenly looked away.

"I'm afraid that won't work either." Kai said in an apologetic tone of voice. "You guys are the main thorn in her side, so I know that she keeps close tabs on you. If you were to go after it, it would be the same as alerting the council."

"Then what are we supposed to do? They already have a four days head start, and there is no way that you can find this thing on your own." Aerrow shouted.

"Look, I know they're not going anywhere for the time being. I took out all their skimmers and it will take at least another three days for before Cyclonis can get them resupplied." Pausing to take a breath, Kai continued. "We can't rush something like this or we'll just make things worse. We need to be careful, and think this through, besides, it's getting late, and I know that Piper needs to get some sleep. We'll talk about this tomorrow." With that Kai got up and left the room. He took the original copy of the book with him, but left Piper's translated copy.

The others too went to their separate rooms, but none were able to get much sleep that night.

Meanwhile, in his temporary room, Kai stared at the little book that had come to cause such a large problem._"Think Kai think! If we alert the council we lose. If the Storm Hawks go after it we still lose. But at the same time Aerrow's right. There is no way I can do this on my own."_ That's when a certain line of thought crossed his mind._ "I can't do it on my own. That fink! He knew what it was all along."_ This of course caused him to scowl._ "This is just his way of trying to teach me another lesson."_ After taking a few moments to calm down and start thinking straight again, Kai pulled out a sheet of paper and started planning.

End Chapter 2

AN: I don know, even though I spent two days writing and editing this, it still felt a bit rushed. Anyways, if anyone wants their OC's to have guest apperences, drop me a review of a PM. Look for the next chapter whenever I can get it out. (At worst, a little over a week.)


	3. The Plan

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 3 The Plan.

AN: Welcome to chapter 3 of Winds of Change! This is the chapter where things will kick off and the journey will begin. To anyone that might be concerned, none of my stories are canceled/dead or on hiatus. I write four stories at once (TDT is a side project) so I can develop Kai at an accelerated pace. Using this method, you (the readers) are able to see his development from all aspects, past (Yesteryears and One Year Flight), present (Winds of Change), future (Stories by other authors esp Mysgrl7 at this time). Broken Wing is where I stick anything that isn't part of a major arc or too short to be a one shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal and this story.

(Sweatdropps) I forgot this for last chapter. My bad.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Morning arrived and the Storm Hawks went about their normal morning rituals. They were surprised when upon entering the kitchen however to find Kai leaning against the wall smiling.

"Breakfast anyone." He said holding out one hand towards the table, which upon seeing caused both Finn and Junko's jaws to drop.

Stacked high were several mounds of pancakes, a small mountain of scrambled eggs, and a decent pile of bacon.

"Dude! How did you do all this? I thought we were out supplies." Finn asked after picking up his jaw.

"We are pretty close to terra Tranqua. I just picked up some stuff for you guys, think of this as my way of saying thanks for letting me stay the last few days." As soon as the words left his mouth the mood turned somber.

"So, any idea's for what to do about the book?" Shadow asked.

Kai sighed when he noticed everyone was now watching him like a hawk (pun intended). "Actually, I did. I'm going after it." Seeing that Aerrow was about to butt in, he continued. "Not on my own of course. I decided to approach this as though it were a mission. So, to fulfill it, I tried to figure out what I would need. Skill's supplies, you get the idea."

"Really? You made a list?" Piper asked. She knew that despite failing the trials (last time she counted twelve times), Kai was not stupid. He was a bit of a loner, and somewhat pessimistic, and he definitely had one of the more dark side personality's she had come across, but he was far from dumb. However, she had never actually seen him plan anything out before, so she was more than just a bit curious as to what he had come up with.

Nodding, he pulled out a single sheet of paper that looked more like a grocery list than anything else.

Finn, Shadow and Junko were currently busy stuffing their faces after their stomachs reminded them that they hadn't eaten since last night's dinner.

"Hey! That was my bacon!" Finn shouted. He went to stab the last piece with his fork, but it had been blocked by Shadows.

"Sorry, but fork finders slowpoke's whiners. I got it first." Shadow pulled the piece back and made sure to take small bites and chew slowly, for no other reason than to rub it in.

Groaning Finn went back to the hotcakes but noticed that the pile was now gone. "Hey! Junko! That was so not cool!" Finn whined.

"Uh, Finn. I'm over here." Junko said waving from over at the sink.

"But, if Aerrow and Piper are talking to him, Shadow's on that side, you're over there and Storks driving, who ate it?

_Burp_

Looking down the trio saw a very fat, yet at the same time extremely content Radarr lying with his back against the wall.

Back to the others

"Let me get this straight, you're just going to go around asking random people if they would help you?" Aerrow asked looking at the list.

Kai frowned slightly. "No, their not just random people. Most of them are my friends, and I didn't just pick names out of a hat or something."

Looking over the names Aerrow shook his head. "You don't even have a Sky Knight on here. There is no way this group could do anything more than raid a few supply lines at best."

"I didn't list any Sky Knights for a reason. It would be rather hard to explain one or more squadron leaders disappearing in the middle of the night. Not only would Cyclonis catch on, but it would also alert the council and that could potentially put the Knight's career at risk. No Knights."

"What about a Sky Knight that's immune to the council?" Piper asked as Aerrow passed the list to her.

"I haven't spoken to Star in over a week, and it's not like she carries a radio with her everywhere she goes. I can't just up and call her or track her down like that." Kai snapped his fingers.

"Well, there is Marina. She helped us out back when we crashed on her Terra." Piper said in her thinking pose.

"Marina?" Kai though back. He had heard the name once or twice before, but he couldn't exactly put a face with the name.

Seeing him struggle Piper tried to help. "Long red hair, amber colored eyes."

"Piper, you just described the entire population of terra Gerudo." Finn said licking his plate clean.

"She's the only Gerudo he's ever seen before. How would you describe her?" Piper asked dryly.

"Hmm. Ok, got it. Picture Starling, only her hair comes down to her waist and its blood red. Her eyes look just like your but have normal pupils, she's a little more muscular and has a nose that looks like a hummingbirds beak." Finn said staring at a ceiling light. When he looked back at the others he was grinning. "That's how I would describe her."

"Finn, all of the Gerudo have elongated noses, it's just how they are." Piper was cut off by Kai.

"Uh actually, the nose thing kinda did it for me. I know who she is." Kai said meekly.

Piper sighed and mumbled something about men being superficial.

"How is she immune to the council though? I mean, with Star it's kinda obvious, no squadron and moves around from place to place. But if Marina is who I think she is, she looked a little to…" Kai didn't want to say it, but he couldn't think of any other way to go about it. "Pampered."

"Well, she is royalty, but the reason she's immune to the council is that she is a member of the Hylian League council, so she has diplomatic immunity." Piper replied.

"Ah, that explains it." _"No wonder her clothes didn't look like they with stitched together from five different shirts."_ Kai thought looking back at the Storm Hawks slightly amused by the thought.

"What about a mechanic?" Junko asked from the sink. (It was his week to do dishes.)

"Got one, Tigerlily said she would help me out if I ever needed a hand." Kai answered.

"Tigerlily? Whose that? Sounds like some kind of stage name." Finn snickered.

Aerrow and Piper stared at him as though he had grown a second head. (or a brain)

"Finn, Tigerlily is Tigger's real name." Piper said slowly as though she were talking to a preschooler.

"WHAT! Dude, you can not use a Rock Heart. Besides, Stork's a waaaaaayyy better mechanic." Finn said pointing at a picture on the wall.

Kai hadn't noticed it the entire time he had been aboard. It showed Stork holding what appeared to be a three foot long gold plated wrench. Beside him, to the left was Tigger holding one of the same size, only it was silver plated.

"I can't take Stork because he's not only your mechanic, but he also happens to be your carrier pilot. Unless, that is, one of you could fly the Condor for a month or two." Kai answered. He knew that not only was Stork the only one that _could_ pilot the Condor, but also that they would never allow anyone to even try for more than a few hours at best, let alone a month.

"Why do you have a doctor listed? I thought medical training was required for the trials?" Piper asked seeing that there was more on the back side of the paper.

"It is, but that's only first aid or emergency field grade. I would feel better knowing that I had someone on hand that could do more than butterfly stitches. Plus Rondana is one of the only two medics I know that's not part of a squadron, and Jim would make me pay through my nose." Kai replied.

"Uh…Aerrow, may I have a moment?" Piper asked seeing the name at the bottom of the list,

circled,

in red.

"Oook I guess." Aerrow shot Piper a puzzled expression before going to find any remains from the morning's breakfast.

When she was sure that Aerrow was no longer in earshot, she spun around and faced Kai. "What in the name of Atmos were you thinking?" She hissed.

"Look, I was hoping that you'd have been up first, since according to Star your such an early riser." Kai was cut off.

"You think!? Look, we're on thin ice with the council as it is, do you have any idea what they would do if they found out about this." Piper held up the now crinkled sheet of paper and pointed at her name.

"Piper, you're the only one that can read it. I would take your notes, but if anything happened to them we'd be up the creek." Kai pleaded.

It was several moments before Piper responded, and Kai was actually beginning to think that she was going to say no. "I'll talk to Aerrow, but I can't make any promises." She said before walking over to join Aerrow.

With nothing else to do, Kai decided to head back to the hanger and check on his skimmer.

The rest of the day was the same as the previous few days. Mostly calm, no problems, no random attacks and no Cyclonian super weapons.

Or as Finn would say.

Boring

"Kai, report to the bridge immediately." Aerrow's voice called from over the intercom, more than just a little crossed.

"_I guess Piper just had her little talk with the Sky Prince."_ Kai thought dryly.

When he arrived, Kai wasn't too surprised by what he found. The entire squad was present, and both Junko and Finn were standing on either side of the one door the lead to and from the bridge. Piper was standing beside Aerrow slightly disgruntled, and Aerrow…well…Aerrow was not a very happy camper.

"Mind explaining to me why it is that you wish to take my navigator on this little mission of yours?" Aerrow asked in a calm, but at the same time intimidating tone. (Or so he thought.)

"She is the only one that can read the language. Aside from that, she also has quite a bit of knowledge regarding the ancients, and lastly, she knows more about Domiwick than anyone else I know of. If I'm going to have any chance at pulling this off, I'm going to need her help." Kai was trying to be diplomatic about this; he really hoped that it would go somewhat smoothly.

Of course, as the saying goes, 'He who lives on faith…'

"Not a chance in Oblivion. Piper's my, our navigator, and my responsibility. If anything happens to her, I'm the one that will be held responsible." Aerrow said narrowing his eyes.

"_I really, really didn't want to do this."_ Kai looked the younger boy directly in the eye. "You think that I'm incapable of protecting someone? Is that it? Or is it that you think this mission is just too dangerous?" When Aerrow didn't give him an answer, he continued. "I might not be a Sky Knight, but I can tell you right now that if any one of you was to fight me, I'd mop the floor with you, if I wanted, I could take out all seven of you right now, and no that is neither a threat nor is it idle. If you think the mission is too dangerous, then you have either forgotten about everything that you have done since forming this squadron, or you have forgotten your oath. I understand that you wish to avoid any problems with the council, believe me, I know full well just how miserable they can make your life."

Aerrow continued to stare right back at Kai, not moving a muscle.

"Aerrow." Piper put one hand on her friends shoulder. "Aerrow, this is something that I need to do. You know that we can't let the Cyclonian's get their hands on anything that could be anywhere near as powerful as the Storm Engine. If they find it, they'll mass produce whatever they can, and use what they can't until it no longer works."

"There's no guarantee that this thing still even exists. It could be nothing more than a pile of scrap by now." Aerrow replied, still not breaking eye contact with Kai.

"But what if it is? We might be driving Cyclonia back right now, but that just means that they'll be getting even more dangerous. Less territory means more forces in a smaller area, and you know full well how unstable Master Cyclonis can get when she's desperate." Piper said remembering her first encounter with the young ruler.

It was a bittersweet memory; on the one hand, she was happy to have made friends with someone who was so similar, and who shared so many of the same interests, but on the other hand she still had nightmares about how the fight ended. Her only comfort was in the fact that even though they were only friends for a short time, they had been friends.

"I'll think about it." Aerrow said leaving.

"What ever your decision is, make it before night fall, it's the only way I'll be able to keep this under wraps." Kai said from behind.

Aerrow didn't answer, he just left the bridge.

Finn, Junko and Shadow went back to their business, Kai sat down on the couch, and Piper just about collapsed next to him.

"You are coming right?" Kai asked not opening his eyes. He didn't want to risk anyone overhearing him, so he spoke in ancient. (As I said earlier, he can speak it, he just can't read it.)

Sighing, Piper replied. "Yes. I'll help you. I was just hoping that Aerrow would have agreed, I don't like going behind his back like this. He's my best friend, and my flight lead." Piper replied, like Kai in ancient to prevent anyone from listening in.

"We leave in six hours. Bring whatever you think you'll need." Looking around, Kai then spoke normally when he noticed Finn getting closer to them. "I'm going to call Tigger and Rondana." Kai said getting up and heading to the ships radio.

Piper leaned back and reached over to scratch Radarr behind the ears. "I hope I'm doing the right thing." She said sadly.

Later that night, two figures slipped into the hanger. They had managed to avoid detection and were almost in the clear. They avoided cutting on any lights so that no one would be woke up.

_THUNKLEERRR_

The hanger lights all came on at once.

Standing in front of the parked skimmers stood the entire squadron. (They had parked a few hours ago on a nearby terra, so Stork was also present.)

"Heading out for a midnight stroll?" Aerrow asked accusingly.

Piper's head lowered to the ground, she was unable to look at anything other than her feet.

Kai scanned the room, trying to find a way out without hurting anyone.

"Piper." Aerrow called out walking up towards the two.

Looking up, the she was only able to give a sad smile. "I'm sorry Aerrow, but this is something that I have to do." Piper bit her lip before continuing. "Do you remember when Starling asked for your help in freeing the scientist?" Seeing no change in Aerrow's face, she continued. "I was angry at first; I thought that you didn't take us with you because you didn't think we could help. But then I realized how foolish that was. It wasn't that you didn't think we could help; it wasn't even that Starling asked only for you to come. You didn't bring us because you didn't want anything to happen to any of us. If something bad had happened, it would have been your fault." She paused trying to gauge his reaction. "It's the same now for me. I can help with this, if Lar…Master Cyclonis finds this ship first, things will become far worse than any of us could imagine. I'm not going to lie to you; I honestly hope that all we find is a pile of scrap. I can't even tell you how many times I went through that book praying to find out that it was a children's storybook, or even a survivors log from after the ship crashed, but it isn't."

"You're not going." Aerrow said firmly.

Piper glanced over to Kai. They had gone over several things before heading to the hanger just in case something like this happened.

"Alone." Aerrow added with a small smile. Looking over his shoulder, Aerrow called out. "Shadow, you ready?"

Kai turned to Aerrow looking for an answer, but was pulled away by several hands.

"Dude, you have no idea how close you came to getting in deep." Finn said without a single trace of humor.

Stork nodded. "You're lucky that we sided with Piper on this. If she feels that something's a threat, we know that it's serious."

"But." Junko wrapped one arm around Kai's shoulders. "If anything happens to her, you're on your own. She'll do whatever she thinks is right, no matter the consequences, so keep that in mind, her life is in your hands." The Wallop gave him a hardy slap across the back (which popped a few vertebrae).

"I don't get it. What's going on?" Piper asked confused.

"I'm letting you go." When he saw the look on her face Aerrow couldn't help but chuckle slightly. "Piper, I've know you longer than anyone other than Finn and Radarr. I know that once you've made up your mind, there is no force on Atmos that can stop you."

"But, why Shadow?" Piper asked seeing the girl straining from the weight of her two duffle bags.

"Just because I'm letting you go doesn't mean that I'm going to stop looking out for you. I looked over his list again and I noticed that he was short on actual fighters." Before Aerrow could continue, Piper cut in.

"Because there will be no fighting, this is a stealth mission!" Piper hissed between her teeth. "The more people we bring, the harder it will be to keep them hidden."

Aerrow held up one had telling her to stop. "I know that, but you have to have a plan B and C. If there is one thing that I've learned, it's that things rarely, if ever go according to plan. I know that you can handle yourself in a fight, and there is no doubt in my mind that what Kai said earlier is true, and, before you say anything, I do remember full well just how good a fighter Marina is. But there is no guarantee that she will even agree to help you, and if she doesn't, then it will be just you, Kai, a medic and a mechanic. This way you will at least have three good fighters in your group."

Knowing that she should just count her blessings, Piper gave in, nodded, and picked back up her bag.

"One last thing." Looking back, Piper saw Radarr hope down from Aerrow's shoulder and run over to her. At first she thought that he was carrying something to her, but then he hopped up, grabbed her belt, pulled up again and rested on her shoulders. Piper looked at Radarr, then back to Aerrow.

"Don't look so surprised. He trusts you almost as much as he does me. Until you get back, he'll do whatever you tell him….to a degree." Aerrow added.

Piper nodded and went over to her heliscooter, secured her bags before saying good bye to her friends.

Shadow was having a little trouble tying her bags down on her skimmer, but was surprised when Kai pulled them off completely. "HEY! I'm coming with you whether you like it or not!" She shouted.

"I know, but you're not ridding that skimmer." He replied carrying her two duffels, he tied them to his Bone Wing.

"I'm not ridding double with you either." She quickly added crossing her arms pouting.

After making sure the bags were secure and in no danger of falling off while in flight, Kai turned to her. "I know that as well. You're flying Piper's heliscooter." Kai was about to continue when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Shadow, do as he say's. I just need a minute." Aerrow said calmly.

Not happy about the change, she huffed before going over to the one heliscooter in a hanger full of skimmers. "I still don't know why she doesn't want to fly a skimmer." Shadow glared at the much slower ride before giving it a small kick and then finally climbing on.

Aerrow looked Kai directly in the eyes before speaking. "If anything happens to her, they'll never find the body." Then he walked off to join the others.

When everything was ready, the others moved the skimmers out of the way giving Kai and Shadow a clean runway. Kai was on his Bone Wing with both Piper and Radarr, Shadow was on Pipers heliscooter with Griffy.

"Remember, keep low and don't use the booster." Stork said over the intercom before turning off the ships lights and opening the hanger doors.

The two rides sped off, deployed their wings, and disappeared into the night sky.

End Chapter Three

AN: Well how is it so far? If you want your OC to have a guest appearance, drop me a review or a PM, I can't make any promises other than I will do my best. If you'd like to see more about the OC's mentioned above, go check out their authors profiles for more stories, or in Kai's case, check out the others I've written. I actually have come up with a written language for the ancients, but I figured that ya'll would get tired of scrolling to the bottom for the translations,. Lastly, since my internet time is severly limited now, I will only be able to review others work or reply to reviews on the weekends now. Anyways, please review! Till next time, Ja Ne!


	4. Into the Deep

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 4 Into the Deep.

AN: Welcome to the fourth chapter of Winds of Change. Out of the five stories that I'm currently writing, I think this is my best one, but I haven't forgotten about the others so don't worry, they will continue to be updated.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Four hours had past since the trio left the Condor. Knowing that Piper's heliscooter was far slower than his Bone Wing, Kai made sure to keep his speed down. Very little had been said between them since taking off, since Kai was focused on trying to find a way to actually pull off the mission, Piper had fallen asleep and was currently using one of his shoulders for a pillow, and Shadow was struggling just to keep up.

"Stupid heliscooter. Why can't she just ride a skimmer like everyone else?" Shadow grumbled. Not only was she tired, but she was also more than just a bit agitated by her leader's actions.

_Flashback_

"Shadow, I need to ask a favor." Slightly startled at hearing her name called from so close, the girl spun around on her heel.

What she saw was Aerrow with an odd, almost blank look on his face. Regaining her composer, she responded. "Sure, what is it?"

"I already know that more than likely, Piper is going to be leaving with Kai sometime late tonight or early tomorrow morning. I need for you to pack up and be ready to go when they do."

This surprised her to say the least.

"Uh, why me? I mean, not that I'm not happy to help out, but."

Aerrow cut her off. "I can't leave because it would be abandoning my post, Stork is our only mechanic and the only one that can keep the Condor in the air, Finn and Junko are both necessary and indispensable at this time. You're the only one that I both trust, and can allow to go on this mission."

"So what am I supposed to do? I'm not a historian or anything. I can't read ancient languages or help find a way through some giant maze if that's what you're thinking." Shadow said leaning against the wall.

"I know, but I'm not asking you to do that either. All I want is for you to help them out in any way that you can, and to look out for Piper."

"What? You think something bads gonna happen?" She asked seriously.

"Expect? Yes. Hope? No. But there is another reason; I know that you and Kai are friends, so he will trust you more than any one of us."

Shadow didn't like where this was going. "Yes he's my friend, but what does that have to do with anything?" She asked coolly.

"I want you to keep an eye on him. Even though he's helped us out in the past, he's still one to watch out for. His allegiance isn't exactly to the free people of Atmos, it's to himself. He'll do whatever he thinks is in his best interest. Remember, he _is _a Murk Raider." Aerrow finished before leaving.

_Flashback End_

"_Kai is soo not a Murk Raider. He deals with them to survive and to slow down the Cyclonian's. I still don't get why Aerrow doesn't trust him, it's not like he hasn't proved himself already, he did help save our lives after all!"_ Shadow shook her head in disgust.

Two more hours past and they finally arrived at terra Deep. Shadow couldn't help but shudder as she felt her skin crawl. She hated this terra above all others. There was just something wrong about it, she couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she knew that there was something about this place that was bad, and it wasn't the Murk Raiders.

"You don't want to know."

Jumping, Shadow turned and saw that instead of being in front of her, Kai was now flying right beside her.

"What?" She'd asked slightly puzzled.

"The terra. You don't want to know, trust me." Kai responded calmly.

"Why not? I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself thank you very much." Shadow shot back.

"I'm not saying that you _couldn't _handle it, I'm saying that you're better off not knowing." He replied.

"How did you even know what I was thinking about in the first place?" She asked trying to make conversation.

"I could tell by the way you were looking around. That, and the expression on your face, also I know that you're a sensitive." Once again, Kai simply answered her questions without elaborating any further.

"Sensitive? What does that mean?" Shadow was a bit curious, and anything that could occupy her mind was certainly more welcome than the weird sick feeling she was getting.

Kai was silent for a few moments, but before Shadow could ask the question again he spoke. "A sensitive is someone that has a higher sense of spatial awareness than what is considered normal"

"So what? You're saying I'm a freak or something?" Shadow asked slightly peeved.

"No, not in the least. Normal spatial awareness would be knowing when someone is watching you or when something is just about to hit you. Sensitive would be knowing _who_ is watching you and from what direction or _what_ is about to hit you and from where. You're a natural sensitive, so you're a little more in-tuned to your surroundings, that's all." Kai offered.

"You really need to learn how to answer people's questions better, you know that?" Shadow said still not getting the whole picture.

"I'm just answering the questions that you're asking. If you want better answers, you should ask better questions." Kai replied calmly.

Gritting her teeth, Shadow asked. "Ok, so tell me, what is there aside from a natural, what are the differences, and what does any of this have to do with where we are?"

It took Kai a minute or two to sort through, collect, and arrange his thoughts. "Aside from naturals, there are also non's, partial's, artificial's, and specialist. Non's are normal everyday people. To them, the world is exactly the way it looks."

Kai paused as he pulled away to dodge a black crystal formation before pulling back up to the younger teen. Shadow hardly had to move since the heliscooter was able to change directions on a dime.

"_Guess this thing's not a complete waste of metal after all."_ Shadow thought. "What are the other four?"

"Four?" Kai asked.

"Yeah, you never really explained what a natural is, just what they can do." Shadow replied.

"Oh, well, I guess the next easiest to explain would be partials. A partial is someone that has a degree of perception." Shadow cut in.

"They have some but it's not very accurate?" She guessed.

"No, it has nothing to do with accuracy, its frequency that's measured. A partial does have it, but it's not always active. A better way to describe it would be a hunch or gut instinct. Stork is a partial I think."

"You think? You mean you don't know?" She asked with a hint of amusement.

"I haven't known him long enough to actually be able to tell." He answered.

"I was just teasing you, gee no need to get so defensive. Keep going though, this is interesting." Shadow said glad to have her mind taken off the bad feeling in her stomach.

"Well, a specialist would be someone that is extremely aware of specific things, but unaware of others, like always knowing where someone is, or whenever you're close to something specific."

"Like Piper with crystals or Finn with single girls?" Shadow asked laughingly.

"Could be, I wouldn't be surprised if they were. Look out!" Kai shouted.

Not looking at where she was going, Shadow had nearly run into another of the crystal pillars.

"AAAHHH!" Pulling the controls hard she managed to dodge it at the last second.

"You ok?" Kai asked pulling back up beside her.

"Yeah, just a little shook up. Keep going, I'll be more carful, just don't stop." Shadow said trembling. The sick feeling in her stomach had gotten worse. It felt like someone was standing on her chest.

"Well, then there are naturals, like you." Kai paused before continuing. "A natural is fully aware at all times to the things around them, and can feel out an area. That's why you're having trouble right now. You're feeling the terra itself."

"But why don't I feel like this anywhere else?" Shadow asked clutching her stomach.

"Oh, believe me, if you think this place is bad, there are some places that would make you feel like you were dying. You've never been to the Black Gorge have you?" Kai asked.

"No I haven't." She answered.

"Thought so, there aren't too many places as bad as here. The Black Gorge isn't as rough, but it's not much better, The Great Expanse is right up there with it though." Kai said in a matter of fact tone.

"Where on Atmos could be worse than here?" She asked feeling sick.

"The only places that are worse than terra Deep are small isolated locations. Terra Deep just happens to be the worst of the large ones." Kai said ducking under another crystal formation.

"What about the last one? Artificial's?" Shadow asked. She wanted to know more about terra Deep, but right now she was trying to calm herself down, that and she had a feeling that if she actually did manage to get the answers she wanted, she would be in worse shape than she was in now.

"Artificial's are just as their name implies. They're on the same level as naturals, only they weren't born with the gift." Kai answered.

"How? It sounds to me like it has something to do with your brain, and I don't know of anything that can change a persons brain for the better." Shadow replied holding her stomach tighter.

"There are several different ways, one is through training. Just about all of the Sky Knights are Artificial's. Years of training, fighting, and experience give them a similar level of awareness." Kai said looking around.

"Is something wrong?" Shadow asked.

"No, I'm just a little surprised that we've gotten this far without any trouble, usually Scabulous like's to use me for target practice." Seeing the young girls eyes widen in panic he then quickly added. "They never actually hit me…intentionally. Normally it's just one or two warning shots, but they only do it to 'remind' me who's in charge."

"Oh. Um, no offense, but, why do you live here? I mean, there must be someone that you could move in with, or some other place you could go to." Shadow asked not trying to insult the one person that knew their way around the gloomy terra.

"It's not really a matter choice." Seeing the girl's expression he guessed that he was supposed to elaborate. Sighing he continued. "Look, I have some….luggage from my past. If I were to move in with anyone that is in any way subject to the council, they would have….problems. Let's just leave it at that for now. Besides, it's not like this place doesn't have its advantages."

Even though they were a quite a few feet away, Kai could tell she was giving him an extremely doubtful look.

"Ok, I will admit it's not the most pleasant of dwellings. But it is for the most part safe, not many people are willing to even try coming in here, and the few that do are hunted by the Murk's for plunder or sport. That and….I just prefer being by myself."

Though the last part was little more than a whisper, Shadow heard it as though he was standing beside her. _"That is a little to familiar for my comfort."_

"Well, we're almost there. Hey, sleeping beauty, wakie wakie." Kai moved his shoulder trying to wake his passenger.

"Five more minutes Aerrow." The girl said snuggling closer.

Shadow almost fell off the heliscooter laughing when she saw Kai's expression.

"Piper, you're not on the Condor. You're riding second seat on my skimmer. If you don't wake up now, you might fall off when we land." Kai said trying to keep calm.

"Huh, wha? AH!" Upon waking, Pipe happened to look down and wrapped her arms tightly around Kai.

"Piper, not so tight please." He said somewhat strained.

"Sorry, just got a little spooked. Terra Deep's not exactly a comforting place to wake up from a dream you know." Piper said trying to lighten up the mood.

"Yeah, especially considering what it was you were dreaming about." Shadow said between laughs.

A while back this would have either made Piper very mad or very embarrassed, but she had grown used to the crews teasing, that, and she teased them just as badly, so she ignored it.

"Humph"

"Alright, here it is." Kai said slightly less enthusiastic then a person about to get rabies shots.

"Awe, you don't want us to see where you live? Come on, we let you stay with us remember?" Piper teased.

"Yeah, but ya'll actually have a decent place to live in." Kai replied.

"Oh come on. It can't be that bad. The Condor's doesn't exactly have a five star rating." Shadow said in a chipper tone.

When the two vehicles came around a rather large crystal spire, they were met with the sight of an old shipwreck.

"So where is it? All I see is that busted up carrier." Shadow said pointing.

"That's my base." Kai answered dryly.

"That's your home?" Piper asked. She was shocked to say the least, but her tone was more along the lines of sorrowful than incredulous.

"No, that is my base. It's where I live." Kai corrected her.

This was all too familiar to both Piper and Shadow. They, like all of the Storm Hawks, knew that there was difference between where someone lived and someone's home.

"So where is your home?" Piper asked. She didn't mean to sound nosey, but she couldn't help it.

"I don't have one." Was the only reply she got.

As they came closer the two girls were able to see it more clearly. It wasn't as bad as it looked from a distance, but it was still pretty bad. Piper recognized it as the ship Aerrow, Finn, Junko and Radarr had investigated when they fist came to the terra. It had since been moved slightly so that it now rested on its belly rather than leaning on its side, and most of the larger holes had been patched closed. Although it was large enough that the Condor could easily fit inside and still be able to move around, all in all, it still looked like a shipwreck.

"Hold on tight, things are going to get a little bumpy." Kai said over his shoulder.

Piper nodded her head and held tight. Radarr got the idea and clung to her back like a rat on a sinking ship.

"Shadow! Do you see the landing strip?" Kai asked.

Studying the wreck, it only took her a second to spot the two lines of lunar crystals that marked the landing strip. "Yeah! I see it." She answered.

"Good, I'm going to land and then I want you to drop down beside me ok?" Turning to look over his shoulder he whispered to Piper. "As soon as we land, get your staff ready."

"Why? Is something wrong?" Piper asked in a hushed tone.

"Yeah, someone's inside my base. I don't know who they are, but we'll need to move fast or else they'll spot us." He replied.

Cutting off the skimmers engines, Kai glided in the last few hundred meters before transforming the Bone Wing into its land mode. Piper was surprised that he was able to land it with so little noise; normally there was always a tire screech or at least a thump from landing.

Sure enough Shadow drop landed beside him and dismounted. "Well, looks like mumpumm." Piper covered her mouth with one hand while holding up her other to signal _stay quiet_. Shadow nodded her head in understanding.

Kai pulled out his tri staff, Piper whipped out her crystal staff and Shadow readied her crystal ax. Griffy and Radarr stood at their master (or temporary masters) side ready to help.

"How do you know that someone's inside?" Piper asked quietly.

"Because the landing lights were on. I only cut them on when I'm returning from a raid, which I haven't been on in over a month." Kai replied as he opened the door beside the hanger bay doors as quietly as possible.

As they crept their way through the ship, Kai Radarr and Griffy were on high alert, looking for the intruder or intruders, but Piper and Shadow were a bit preoccupied.

"_How can anyone live like this?"_ Piper wondered. Looking around she was able to see exposed wires hanging from random places and sections of both wall and floor missing. Despite looking somewhat habitable from the outside, the inside was pretty much worse for ware. Listening closely, she was even able to hear water dripping along with their footsteps, along with the occasional spark coming from the earlier mentioned wires.

"_Why does he live here? This place is like a graveyard."_ That's when her earlier conversation came to mind.

_Flashback_

"_What?" She'd asked slightly puzzled._

"_The terra. You don't want to know, trust me." Kai responded calmly._

"_Why not? I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself thank you very much." Shadow shot back._

"_I'm not saying that you couldn't handle it, I'm saying that you're better of not knowing." He replied._

_Flashback end_

The sick feeling in her stomach had returned full force. _"Oh god, please don't tell me that this place really is.."_ Shaking her head, she decided to no longer dwell on the subject. She tried to keep herself calm, but she was growing increasingly uncomfortable both internally and externally. The ship was so cold that she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end and goose bumps run from head to toe.

As they got further into the base, the conditions did seem to improve. Piper noticed that the holes in the wall were becoming less frequent and that there were thankfully no missing floor panels. The pipes seemed to have fewer leaks and most of the wires were tucked behind panels._ "I guess it's a work in progress, but I still can't believe that anyone would willingly choose to live here."_ Since they had entered the base, Piper had noticed a change in Kai's demeanor as well. It seemed that the more they saw, the more pensive he became. _"Is he nervous about the intruder? No, that can't be it. He looks more…embarrassed then anything else."_ That's when it clicked. _"He must be ashamed about us seeing where he lives; he must have seen how we were reacting and thinks that we're looking down on him."_

That's when they heard something that sounded like scratching, or to be more accurate, shuffling. The sound was unmistakable; both Piper and Shadow knew it by heart. It was the sound of heeled boots pacing around the floor.

Kai turned to the others and whispered. "I'm going in first, whoever this is knows that someone lives here, hopefully they don't know _who_ it is that lives here. They won't be expecting more than one person though, so I'll lead, and you'll follow up alright?" Seeing the others nod, he kicked open the door and leapt forward.

He had hoped to catch the intruder off guard, but was surprised when the person caught his staff with their bare hands and deflected it to the side. Responding to this he threw a right jab which the person effortlessly caught. When he felt them shift their stance, he guessed that they were about to knee him, so Kai raised his leg and crossed it forward so that the other person was knocked off balance. Using this advantage he pushed forward with his body weight and landed on top of the person. He quickly straddled them and brought their hands up over their head, pinning them down with his right hand while his left brought out his boot holstered slicer blade and held it at the person's throat. He didn't know who it was, but judging by the way they had fought; the person was obviously highly trained. The only other thing he could tell was that the person was female based on how thin their wrists were.

"There should be a light switch on the left side of the door." Kai called out without moving. That was when he noticed something else. Though he couldn't see anything more than the persons outline due to how dark it was, and the only sounds he could hear was their panting for breath, he was able to pick out their scent.

"_Lavender?"_

"Found it!" Shadow called out.

_Putink Putink Putink Putink Putink Putink_

One by one the lights on the bridge came on, revealing the scene of the fight.

_Putink_

Then, the last light cut one directly above Kai and the intruder.

"Starling?"

End chapter.

AN: Surprised? Evil cliffhanger I know, but I couldn't resist! Please leave a review! Also, if you want your OC to make an appearance, just ask. Tell next time, Ja Ne!


	5. In for the Night

Winds of Change.

Chapter 5 In for the Night.

AN: Welcome to the Fifth chapter of Winds of Change. This chapter will explain Starling's sudden appearance, and give you readers a first glimpse of the interior of Kai's base. I want to assure my readers (all three of you) that I have not abandoned you. Things are just very, very busy. So my updates will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites).

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Several seconds passed, nobody moved.

Piper was in shock. Here they thought that there was an intruder in the base, an intruder that Kai was about to attack with lethal force if necessary, and it turned out to be none other than the one who had trained him. Her personal idol and second favorite Sky Knight (behind Aerrow) Starling.

Shadow, who had been smiling at a job well done for finding the light switch, was now shaking.

"_No! Not her! Anyone but her!"_

Kai was frozen still.

After saying her name, he seemed to be in an almost trancelike state. He had yet to move a muscle, so the slicer blade was still poised at her throat, with barely a millimeter of space between it and her neck. His other hand still held both of her hands above her head firmly by the wrists.

But of the four, Starling was the most calm.

"_How can she be that calm?"_ Piper thought.

"_She has a blade at her throat and can't do anything to protect herself. She cant even move out of the way! If that was me, I, know that I'd be crying. But she's as calm as could be? How can anyone be that calm?"_ Shadow thought.

After a few seconds passed, Kai deactivated the slicer blade. Now inactive, it was little more than a somewhat ornate handle, since the blade was composed entirely of crystal energy. He then released her wrist, got up off of her and offered her a hand up, which she accepted.

In the amount of time it took for this action, his face returned to its usual calm state.

"What are you doing…no…how did you even find this place? I know that you've never been here before, and there is no way that Scabulous would have sold me out for anything less than a terra's weight in gold." Kai asked sharply.

"How about, sorry for attacking you, and it's nice to see you again?" Starling asked trying to lighten the mood. When she saw Piper she raised an eyebrow. "Might I be intruding?"

Piper and Shadow were both stunned, not at the remark itself, but at how he responded.

"I asked first, but you should already know the answer to yours. Now tell me, why are you here, and how did you find this place?" Kai asked calmly.

Sighing, Starling gave a small smile. Piper noticed that it wasn't forced, but at the same time it wasn't genuine, more along the lines of rueful than anything else.

"The answer to both of your questions is the same. I had just returned from a recon mission in terra Bluster. When I entered my base I noticed that something was amiss, as though something had been moved. Naturally I went into defense mode, upon entering the kitchen area I found the intruder and attempted to apprehend him, but was unsuccessful."

"So he got away? How did that lead you here?" Kai asked still somewhat neutral.

This confused Piper greatly. Since meeting Kai several years ago, she had become convinced that he was like a lost puppy following Starling around and helping her whenever he could. To see him acting so cold towards her was more than just a little surprising, but it was far from being unfamiliar. She didn't know why, but something about him seemed to be oddly familiar.

"He didn't get away, he…restrained me, and rather easily I might add." Starling replied sourly before continuing. "By any chance have any of you ever encountered a strange man with green hair that is incapable of making sense?" Starling asked.

Piper's eyes became wide.

Kai's narrowed into slits.

"Ayrgyn the Skeelur." The both said at the same time. Though Kai was a bit more hostile whereas Piper was more astonished.

Starling's eyes also became wide at this discovery. "THE Ayrgyn, Ayrgyn THE Skeelur? I thought that he was nothing more than a pest, but that was the legendary trainer of hero's?"

"He is a pest, abet a powerful one." Kai said still glaring a hole through the wall.

"Kai! How could you say that?! He's a hero of the Great War, one of the original founders of the Sky Knight's, a protector of our people and a trainer of those destined for future greatness. He saved all of the Sky Knight's lives, and helped us learn how to overcome Master Cyclonis's enhancer crystals." Piper said. She was shocked that anyone would have called Ayrgyn a pest; well, after they knew who he really was anyways.

"I can say that because it's the truth. All those things you said are true, but he is also a manipulative, sneaky, lazy old fool that thinks he knows more than he really does." Kai said bitterly.

To say that the girls were a little surprised would be an understatement.

"How can you say that about someone that you haven't even met?" Shadow asked. She had known Kai for a while now, and was considered by many to be one of his closest friends, but even she was surprised at his sudden bitterness.

"I have met him, quite a few times actually." Kai's tone was now a mixture of bitter and something else that the others couldn't identify.

"But, that's like, one of the greatest honors a person can have. Why would you," Piper wad trying to figure out a way to say this tactfully, thankfully Kai answered it without her having to finish.

"For the past year, he has done nothing but interfere with my life. Appearing at random times giving me one task after another, all the while criticizing the way I do it and the way I life my life. He might be know as the trainer of legendary hero's, but all he does with me is drop off one 'honey do' list after another." Kai was interrupted by Piper.

"I know that he uses unorthodox training methods, but they really do bring results. He trained all of us in just one day and we didn't even know it. For him to help someone just once is rare, but multiple times? He must really see something in you," Piper was never able to finish the sentence. She, Starling, and Shadow would compare the next few minutes with being thrown into the wastelands.

"See something in me? Train? All he does is come out of who knows where whenever the Cyclonian's find something they shouldn't, tell me where it is, then bug me until I go and get it, hid it, or break it. He offers no help, he gives no hints, and does nothing afterwards except criticize. I know how powerful he is, and I know that there is absolutely no reason that he cannot do these tasks on his own. As for why he chose me. It has nothing to do with as you put it, 'seeing something in me', it has nothing to do with me being destined for any form of greatness or with me being the descendent of anyone important, he chose me because I was the only one to chose, he chose me by default." Though Kai's tone was no higher than normal, the venom that was behind his words could have killed the Leviathan itself.

Turning his gaze, he met Starling's shocked face. "Tell me, what did he say? What new task did he deem so important that he sent you of all people to be his messenger?"

Piper and Shadow turned to Starling and were about to defend her when she spoke.

"He said that you will need one more, that if you tried as you were, that you would fail, and in the end, die trying." As she spoke, Piper could hear a touch of pain in her voice, it was small, but it was still there.

"What else?" Kai asked calmly.

It was a few moments before she spoke again. "He also said." She sighed before continuing. "He also said to lighten up, and that this would be your final chance, so don't screw it up."

"Final chance? Final chance for what?" Shadow asked. She, like Starling and Piper had no clue what the second part could possibly mean, but they were pretty sure that based on the changes in Kai's demeanor that he did.

Kai closed his eyes and was deep in thought for several minutes, but when he reopened them, they saw a flash of grey in his irises before they returned to their normal gold color.

"He wouldn't have sent you, or someone of your level unless he was absolutely sure that I would otherwise fail, normally he doesn't do anything else after giving me a task until after its been completed." He said after having calmed down.

The other weren't exactly sure what to make of this. They had little to go on and it was more of a statement than anything else. Piper decided to try and move things along.

"So what dies it mean for him to have sent Starling here?" She asked.

"It means one of two things. One is that he already knows Marina will be unable or unwilling to aid us."

"And the second?" Shadow asked.

"The second is that even with Marina's help we would be unable to succeed." He replied.

"So..which is it?" Shadow asked pensively.

Kai seemed to mull over the thought for a few moments before looking back at the girls. "What do you think? Your guess is as good as mine." It wasn't a statement this time, it was a question, and they were surprised that he at least seemed to be curious as to what their thoughts were.

"I don't know Ayrgyn all that well. Like I said, I've only met him once before." Piper answered.

Shadow looked kind of put off but replied. "I've never met him before."

The last to answer was Starling. "Pretty much the same. I just found out who he was."

Kai shook his head. "No, I mean, how would you interpret what he said. Ignore the second part, that was meant only for me and doesn't apply to anyone else. I mean the 'I will need one more' part. What do you think it means?" He asked calmly.

Now they understood, he wanted to know if they thought it would be a waist of time going after Marina.

"Well, he seems to know what is going on better than we do. We know that Domiwick got the book first, and that time is against us. Also, despite Marina being powerful, she is the queen of her people, and it would take us a week to reach her if we had a carrier. I think that he sent Starling here because he knew that it would be a waste of what time we do have to go after her." Piper answered.

"I hate to say it, but I'm with Piper on this one. We need all the time we can get, and not even counting how long it would take to convince Marina to help us, we're talking a two week flight nonstop on the Condor, which we currently don't have." Said Shadow taping her chin thoughtfully.

The three then turned to Starling who had yet to say anything.

"I disagree." She replied.

This surprised both Piper and Shadow.

She then continued. "He said that you will need one more, as in addition, not as in replacement."

"So which is it?" Shadow asked wanting to know what they were going to do.

"I agree with Starling. Arygyn sent her specifically for a reason." Before he could continue Shadow spoke up.

"How did you find this place anyways? Terra Deep's just one giant rat maze. From what I've seen so far, I don't think anyone other than the Murk's can find their way around without getting lost.

Starlings face turned several interesting shades before she replied. "H he took something of mine when he fled from my base. I pursued him and he landed here. I thought this was his base, so I attempted to confront him a second time, that's when he gave me the message and told me to wait for you here." She stuttered.

Shadow didn't know Starling all that well, but she knew that this was not the way she normally acted. Piper was about to ask what was taken when Kai spoke.

"How long ago was this?"

"Not long, an hour tops." She answered.

"You chased him here all the way from Mesa?" Piper asked. Now, she had to know what it was. Mesa was a two day flight by skimmer, and she knew that was only nonstop.

"How did you know he still had it? He might have just dropped it while flying." Shadow asked.

Starling once again turned a light shade of pink. "I knew because I could see it in his claws." She answered.

"Claws? I thought he was human?" Shadow felt like she was out of the loop on this and didn't like it at all.

"He is a human, but he can transform at will. He seems to prefer the form of a Storm Hawk for travel." Kai answered to help fill her in a bit.

"But, why didn't you just, you know, floor it or blast him or something?" Shadow asked thinking it was the easiest and simplest way to end the problem.

"I tried! He flew faster than Red Streak with a nitros crystal, and he dodged twenty straight minutes of cannon fire, I ever tired the mortar but it missed!" Starling nearly shouted.

Kai grinned. _"Well, at least I'll have some good dreams tonight." _He thought. The mental image of Ayrgyn in his bird form dodging rapid fire crystal blast and mortar rounds was a nice one he had to admit. Seeing that the focus of the group was drifting apart Kai cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that." Shadow said nervously.

Kai waved it off letting her know it was not a problem. "It's ok. Starling, I'm guessing that you're pretty tired, if you want I can show you the quarter's area."

"Wait a minute, we still need to get the others, and we still don't have a clue how we're going to contact Marina! The communicator she gave us is aboard the Condor." Piper was in her 'worry mode' and Starling knew that she had to put an end to it before the small girl worked herself into a tizzy.

"It's under control, but there is nothing we can do about it at this time. You're of no use to anyone if you can't even stay awake." She said.

Of course, none of them were in any shape to argue, they knew it.

"Where are we supposed to sleep? In our skimmers?" Shadow asked in a huff.

"This used to be a carrier remember? It does have crew quarters." He saw the doubtful and uneasy expressions on their faces and it took him a minute to figure out why, or so he thought.

"We don't have to worry about that." Starling whispered to Piper and Shadow low enough that he couldn't hear them.

"Look, if your worried about them looking like a Cyclonian dungeon I can assure you that they have no holes, leeks, exposed wires, rats or roaches." They looked somewhat relieved, not much, but some. Kai motioned for them to follow him as he went to the opposite side of the room that they now recognized as a storage room and opened a door.

They followed for several minutes without speaking. Piper was still tired from three straight days of no sleep, Starling from two days nonstop flying, and Shadow was running on four hours sleep herself.

They noticed that as the moved deeper and deeper into the ship that it shared little resemblance to any other carrier they had ever been on before. Though the temperature was no longer bone chilling, it was still cold. That and the air seemed…dead, void of life.

Shadow remembered hearing Stork say something awhile back about an environments atmosphere matching its occupants. That was the reason that people always seemed so cheerful when onboard the Condor, or sleepy when at the Council archives. But she refused to believe that this…foulness was Kai's aura. He had always been a bit on the serious side, but he had never been gloomy. In fact, he was usually rather upbeat whenever they met. No, something else was at work here. She still couldn't shake that what he said earlier had something to do with it. There was something about this place that was wrong, and she intended to find out what.

Piper, though tired, was fascinated by what she was seeing. She had to hand it to him that Kai was very smart, and extremely resourceful. It had taken her a while to figure it out since she was so tired, but now quite a few things were starting to make sense.

The holes in the hull from where they first entered were not leftovers from whatever downed this ship, nor were they a sign of disrepair. They served two purposes, the first of which was camouflage. When checking out a derelict, the first place anyone would see was the hanger. This was because it was where you entered. So upon entering a hanger, if it looked like the aftermath of a mosh pit at a rock concert, there was little chance of it having anything left worth taking.

The second reason was water.

The ship that served as Kai's base of operations was not mobile, and his only method of transportation was by personal craft, so she knew that there was no way for him to transport large quantities of clean water. So, he made his own. The open holes were all located close to what she had thought were damaged pipes. The holes served as makeshift wind traps, and the open pipes collected the condensation, same as the pipes in the hallways. By only keeping certain areas warm, Kai was able to turn the entire surface area of the ship into one giant moisture condenser.

At the same time, the wind that brought moisture vapor would build up a static charge along the hull of the ship. That was the reason for the exposed wires she had seen earlier. They collected the charge and stored it elsewhere. Normally a person would be unable to use this method for powering a carrier, but in Kai's case it was ideal. He had no need to power the entire ship, only the necessities for living. Though she did wonder if any of the defensive systems were in working condition.

Starling had to force herself to stay awake. She was quite literally the walking dead. Two days of nonstop flight had worn her down, and the brief battle earlier had depleted whatever she had left. The discussion from earlier was still rolling through her mind though. _"What has happened to cause him to act this way? He's never acted openly hostile to a friend before, and he's never acted that way to me even under the worst of circumstances. Just two weeks ago he seemed fine, but now? What has changed?"_ She kept moving forward as best she could, she only hoped that they would get where they were going soon.

"Alright, here we are." Kai said once they reached a rather plain looking hatchway. The door, like every other one of its kind was rusty and looked like it was only held together by said rust. Kai turned the hatch and opened it.

The first thing they felt was a blast of warm air. When they looked up they were surprised at how bright it was. Piper did a double take. The differences between the outside and the inside of this one hatch were like night and day. The floor was spotless, and the wall was lit with a Solaris crystal every twenty or so feet. They were about to step through when a blur of fur and feathers shot past them.

Radarr and Griffy stood in the middle of the hall shivering.

"Oh come on, it's not that cold." Kai said accusingly.

Radarr sneezed in response, and it froze in mid air. You could actually hear the tiny ice crystals land on the ship's deck. Griffy wasn't much better off, as his beak was chattering so fast that it sounded like someone tapping Morse code.

Shaking his head Kai continued inside. After all three of his 'guest' had entered, he closed the hatch before turning to face them. "Take your pick, every room on this floor is empty." He said before heading up the hallway.

"Wait where are you going?" Shadow asked suddenly awake.

"I'm going to my room. Tomorrow is going to be a long day and I need to sleep if I'm going to make it." He said before turning, only to once again be stopped.

"I mean, where is your room? We don't live here like you do; we need to know where we can find." Kai cut her off.

"Bathrooms over there." He pointed to a set of double doors, one that had a blue plate above it, another that had a pink plate. "The galley is over there." This time he pointed to a door that had a circular window at the other end of the hall. "Captains quarters is the only door down that hall." He said pointing to the end of the hallway he was heading down before being stopped.

"Whatever happened to 'only the best for the guest'? We gave you a good room on the Condor." Shadow pouted.

"Who's to say that I'm not giving you the best?" He said before heading off.

"Geeze what's his hash?" Shadow huffed.

"We're probably the first guest he's ever had. Also, he's probably a little worried about whatever this mission is as well." Starling's voice was slightly dull, the other two girls noted.

"Wait a minute; you don't know why we're here?" Piper asked yawning.

"I haven't the foggiest." Starling was about to ask what was going on when Shadow started laughing.

"What?" Starling felt her face to see if she had anything on it.

"Nothing! I just thought that was funny, the way you said it was just funny that's all." Shadow said still snickering.

Piper groaned. "Since we're new here, maybe we should bunk together, plus that away I can fill you both in on what's going on."

"Yeah! Slumber party! No boys allowed!" Shadow giggled.

Piper once again groaned while Starling just stared blankly.

"Wait a minute; you don't know what a slumber party is? That's not possible! You're a girl! It should be as natural as burping is for guys!" Seeing no change in the woman's face Shadow groaned and dragged the two with her into the room closest to the galley.

End Chapter 5

AN: Ok, sorry it took so long, but things have been very busy lately. Hopefully this chapter answered a few questions, and hopefully it left you with even more. I know that Kai might seem a bit on the bipolar side right now, but trust me there is a reason for it. Look for the next chapter to be up….whenever I can get around to it. Till then, Ja Ne!


	6. Secrets and Explanations

Winds of Change.

Chapter 6 Secrets and Explanations.

AN: Welcome to the Sixth chapter of Winds of Change. Since you guys asked so nicely, I figured that I could churn out another chapter for you. Don't expect updates to be this fast in the future though, I just managed to sneak onto a computer during lunch today, not something I can do frequently. In this chapter I'm going to be explaining a few more aspects of Kai's 'change' that is the main focus of my other story The One Year Flight in this chapter. Hopefully it will explain Kai's behavior last chapter to some extent. As for updates, things are just very, very busy right now. So they will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites).

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Surprise didn't even begin to describe what was running through the trios mind.

In the middle of terra Deep, one of the darkest, dankest, and all around most avoided terra's in all of Atmos, in the middle of a shipwreck, was something equal to the best hotel any of them had ever stayed at.

Sure it wasn't exactly the best place they had ever been to or stayed at, but it was far better than they would have expected to find out here.

"Where did he get all of this?" Piper asked looking around the room.

It was about a quarter the size of the Condor's bridge and fully furnished.

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this is all thanks to Cyclonis." Shadow said after flopping on one of the beds.

"Why would you say that?" Starling asked walking into the room still somewhat dazed.

Shadow picked up one of the pillows and held it up. "Take a guess."

Sure enough, stitched into the pillow was the Cyclonian insignia.

"Do you think he." Piper never got to finish the question.

"No, he is not a traitor, nor is he a spy." Starling's tone had a razor edge to it that warned the young bluenette to choose her future words more carefully.

"Didn't he say something about raids?" Shadow asked bouncing up into a sitting position.

"Yeah, he said that's how he knew that someone was here when we arrived. The landing lights were on and he only used those when he was returning from a raid. Do you think he's?" When she saw the look Starling was sending her, she shivered. "I mean, he does live here, and he did say that Scabulous wouldn't sell him out for cheap, so that means that at the very least, they do know each other." Before Piper could continue Starling once again cut her off.

"Look, I don't know why it is that Aerrow has it in his head that Kai is some kind of threat, but he's not. Yes, he does have dealings with the Murk Raiders, but that doesn't mean he is one." Sighing in frustration, she asked. "You want to know what it is that he does?" Starling saw that Piper wasn't going to look her in the face, so she continued. "He takes intelligence reports on Cyclonian supply shipments and gives them to the Murk Raiders so that they can intercept and loot them. Yes, he is giving away military secrets to a group that is not aligned with us in this war, however they are not on Cyclonis's side either. So if they can take out a few supply convoys, then it's all the better for us. The Murk Raiders don't leave terra Deep very often, and on the few occasions that they do, it's for a very short period time, so they are not a threat to us. He's on our side; and he's trying to help out as best he can. So I would appreciate it if in the future you would refrain from speaking ill of him."

Piper knew she had messed up. Unlike Aerrow, she didn't think that Kai was a threat, but her curious nature combined with her particular choice of words seemed carry that notion.

Shadow already knew a lot of this to a degree. She had overheard a few reports that the Cyclonians were trying to find a way to get supplies around terra deep due to an increase in Raider activity. Now she knew the reason.

"Starling, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you, I was just…look, there is too much about him that we don't know. I've spent more time trying to figure him out than I care to even think about. But the facts that stand are, he has a black mark on his record the same size as Dark Aces, he leaks official military secrets, makes deals with force that is known to be openly hostile towards us, and the Sky Council seems to hate him more than Cyclonia in some ways. I'm not attacking his character; I'm just stating the facts." Piper replied. She wanted the woman whom she saw as an idol to know beyond any doubt that she was approaching this from a purely analytical point of view.

_Sigh_

"I had his record sealed so that he would have a chance to live a normal life, but all its done is cause him more problems." She muttered. "All I can tell you is that the mark was in no way, shape, or form, his fault, it was just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The reports he passes off are made and collected by himself. As for his dealings with the Murks, even I don't know his reasons, I've offered him a chance to move out of here several times, but he flat out refused every time. And the Sky Council, that is purely political. I can assure you that the reason they hate him has to do with a personal decision that he made a long time ago, a decision that I am proud of to this day. However if there is anything else you want to know, you'll have to get it from him yourself." Starling said pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Hey don't be so gloomy! Remember this is a slumber party!" Shadow shouted before throwing a pillow at the rooms other two occupants.

"Cant you tell us anything else? Like why was he acting so weird earlier? Or why there is next to nothing about him on record?" Piper was trying to grab onto anything she could, something, anything! It wasn't very often that she had a chance to speak with Starling and it not be in the middle of some mission.

"First you need to fill me in on what in the seven skies is going on here. Why are you two even here to begin with?" Starling asked trying to steer the conversation into safer waters.

Piper was annoyed. Here was a golden opportunity slipping by, and she was powerless to do anything about it. _"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right, I do need to bring them up to speed."_ Graoning at yet another lost chance, she began to explain the situation as best she could, after all, even she didn't have all the details.

"Several days ago, Kai came to the Condor with an ancient text. He told us that he had retrieved it from a Cyclonian excavation site that was overseen by I.J. Domiwick, and requested that I translate some of it. It took me three days, but I managed to decipher at least part of it. It turned out to be the logbook of an ancient vessel, most likely a warship, and we believe it to be intact." Piper was about to continue when Shadow spoke up.

"Then the two of them tried to sneak off in the middle of the night to go and find it, but got caught. That's why I'm here!" Shadow laughed at Piper's annoyed expression.

"It wasn't just the two of us, we contacted Rondana and Tigger telling them that we would be arriving in a few days with details for an important mission, and we were going to try and contact Marina for added backup. Aerrow didn't like it and sent her with us because he still thinks Kai is some kind of threat or is trying to kidnap me or something." Piper said annoyed by her leader's actions.

"And to be a chaperone! Someone had to keep an eye on you two!" Shadow broke out laughing, but stopped when Piper hit her upside the head with a pillow.

"Based on what he told us after you arrived, I'm guessing that Ayrgyn is behind him finding the book in the first place." Piper added.

"How much do the Cyclonians know?" Starling asked taking all this in.

"Pretty much everything we do. Kai believes that Domiwick more than likely made a copy of the book incase something like this happened, and from what I know about the creep, I agree." Piper replied.

"That is….strange." Starling said after thinking for several moments.

"What? It's not like it would be the first time something like this happened. Ancient stuff is always dangerous." Shadow said recovering from the blow to her head.

"No, not the situation itself, but about Marina." When she saw the confused looks Piper and Shadow were giving her she further elaborated. "From what Aerrow told me, terra Gerudo is on the other side of Atmos, and currently time is our biggest factor. I trained Kai myself, and I know that he would not waste time on an important mission like this. Yet, he agreed with me that we should still seek her aid."

"I see what you mean. But he didn't seem all the worried about a two week flight, what do you think it means?" Shadow asked now propping herself on her elbows.

"It means that he's either going to do something very dangerous and foolish, or he has been keeping secrets from me again." Starling replied narrowing her eyes. Piper and Shadow couldn't tell if it was out of anger or annoyance thought.

"What do you mean by something very dangerous and foolish?" Piper asked curious to know why she didn't say it was a waste of time. "I mean, you make it sound like there is some way to get around the other side of the planet in no time flat." Piper added jokingly.

When she and Shadow noticed the pensive look on her face they rushed her.

"You mean to tell me there IS a way to get to the other side of the Atmos in less than two weeks?" Piper grabbed the older woman by the shoulders.

"Actually, there are two ways, but I don't think he would use them, not with you two in tow anyways." Starling replied brushing the girls hands off of her.

"Well don't leave us hanging! I swear you're as bad as Kai is." Shadow said taking a seat beside the older woman.

"What do you mean I'm as bad as Kai is?" Starling sounded like someone had just asked her if she was a natural purplnette.

"What she means is that you answer questions without giving complete answers." Piper said taking a seat across from her.

"Well if you want better answers, you should ask better questions." Starling replied curtly.

Piper and Shadow stared.

When she saw them staring blankly, Starling started to feel a bit uneasy. "What?"

"Nothing, never mind. Seriously thought, how can you get to the other side of the planet in less than two weeks?" Piper asked having recovered slightly faster than Shadow.

Starling decided there was no harm in telling them the basics, since you had to know the precise details in order to even think about trying. "The first is through trajectory flight. That is flying into the upper atmosphere and then falcon diving back down. You have to be carful not to penetrate the atmosphere though or else you'll die of oxygen depletion. The other, and in my opinion, more suicidal of the two is mantle hopping, otherwise known as crust skipping."

"Crust skipping?" Piper asked raising an eyebrow at the rather comical name.

"It is much harder to perform, but it would allow a person to make it to the other side of the planet in a very short period of time." Starling paused for a moment as if she was watching a particular memory before continuing. "It requires finding a breech in the surface of the wastelands, then diving into it and traveling through the lava flow network."

"Woah! That sounds like fun!" Shadow shouted excitedly.

"Yes it does, but it has a ninety percent fatality rate, so I don't think he would try it, or at least not with the two of you." Starling said lying back on the bed._ "This is pretty comfortable."_ She thought.

"What did you mean by he could be keeping secrets from you again?" Shadow asked seemingly out of nowhere.

Starling sat back up and eyed the girl suspiciously. "It means that even though I might be his closest friend, he doesn't exactly tell me everything. Ayrgyn would be one such example. I had no idea that he even knew the man, much less had regular dealings with him."

"Still, you do know more about him than any other person right?" Piper asked once again in her snoop mode.

"Yes, I do know him better than anyone else alive, even his own mother. But that doesn't mean that I know everything, or that I would tell anyone anything." Starling's answer was quick and sharp.

"His mom's still alive? How could you know someone better than their own mother?" Shadow asked. Like Piper, she was curious about their current host and wasn't going to pass up a chance like this if she could help it.

Starling slumped back against the wall before answering. "I know him better than his mother because I've been around him longer. I already told you that I was his babysitter when he was younger right?" Piper and Shadow both nodded. "I was his sitter for about five years, and then I left for a year to receive special training. Upon returning, he requested that I take him on as my apprentice. He served in that capacity for seven years until the Nightmare of Mesa occurred. At which point we went our separate ways. I've known and taken care of him for twelve out of his nineteen years of life, his mother only looked after him for six at most, and I'm fairly certain that his father actually took care of him for five of those."

"What happened to his mother? You said she's still alive, so where is she?" Piper asked excited that she was finally learning something about the mysterious boys past.

"After I took Kai on as my apprentice, she moved to terra Atmosia, that was over eight years ago, and I don't think they have spoken much since." Starling replied.

"Why? I mean, I would think that a person would want to speak to their parents as much as they could as long as they were around." Shadow said without thinking. It was then that she noticed the look the older woman was giving her._ "Does she know?"_

"Yes, I can see why you would think that. But I would hope that you would also understand that a person might not exactly get along with their parents for various reasons, things like differing opinions on matters of importance." Starling said looking directly into Shadow's eyes. Her forest green orbs almost glaring holes into Shadow's emerald ones.

"_She knows! This is bad, bad, bad, very very bad!"_ Shadow was almost trembling at the thought of her secret seeing the light of day, but thankfully, someone seemed to take pity on her.

"What do you mean by differing opinions?" Piper asked.

Starling gave one last knowing look as if to say _"Watch it from now on"_ before turning to Piper to answer her question. "His mother didn't want him to have any part in war effort, and…she didn't particularly care for me at any point. To this day, I'm still fairly certain she would let me drop off the side of a terra if given the chance." She replied.

Sensing that she wasn't going to elaborate any further, Piper decided to try a different avenue so that she could collect some more tidbits. "Uh, about earlier. Do you have any idea why he was acting all….weird? Normally he's pretty calm, but he seemed rather…perturbed when he was speaking to you."

It took a few moments for the woman to answer, but the two were surprised at what she said. "Not entirely. I have a few theories, but I know that part of the fault is yours."

"Our fault? What on Atmos is that supposed to mean?" Shadow asked huffing.

"Yeah, we didn't do anything, we just happened to be there." Piper defended.

"I know, and that is why the fault is partially yours." Starling replied.

"Well excuse us for breathing! You were the one hiding in the dark and almost got you neck sliced." Piper shouted.

At the mentioning of that particular incident, Shadow was reminded of something. "How were you able to do that?"

The other two turned to her before Starling asked her. "Do what? I already told you that I followed Ayrgyn here."

"No, not that. How were you able to stay so calm? When he had that blade at your throat, I…" Shadow couldn't continue, she just shuddered at the thought.

Understanding the girl's unasked question, Starling sighed. _"I can't go and tell them everything."_ Seeing the scared looks on the two girl's faces though gave her another thought. _"Their afraid of him. When I said it was their fault, they must have interpreted it to mean that he was agitated by their presence to the point of attacking a close friend. It's not my place to tell them what he is, but…but just maybe I can explain a little bit about him, if only to calm them down. If their afraid that he will attack them at any given time, then they won't focus on the mission."_ "I can't tell you everything, but perhaps I can better explain what I said earlier. The reason I was so calm, and what I meant by it was your fault."

Piper and Shadow looked at each other, then back to Starling and nodded.

"The reason that I was able to remain calm was that I knew it was Kai. I reacted out of reflex when he attacked me, but as soon as my mind regained control over my body, I let go." She saw that they were going to interrupt her so she quickly continued. "Something…happened several years ago, yes it is related to the black mark on his record, and no I'm not going to tell you what it is, that is for Kai to decide alone." When she was sure that the two girls understood not to push for details she continued. "After the...incident, Kai was change. Not just mentally, but physically as well. You of course know this already, don't you Piper?"

Shadow was confused. "Piper, what does she mean by you already know?" When the bluenette didn't respond she asked again. "Piper, what aren't you telling me?"

"What she failed to tell you, is that with the exceptions of Stork, Fate, and yourself, every member of the Storm Hawks have known Kai for almost six years." Starling answered for her.

"But, how is that?" Before Shadow could continue, Starling cut her off.

"Six years ago, the group now known as the Storm Hawks were shipped around from terra to terra by the Sky Knight Council. One of the terra's they happened to stay on was terra Mesa, home of the Interceptors, myself and Kai included." Starling watched the young girl trying to gauge her reaction.

"What changed? You said that he physically changed, what happened to him?" Shadow asked shifting her eyes between the two others.

"Several things, but the most obvious was his eyes. They used to be blue, blue like the oceans of myth." Starling paused for a moment and Shadow noticed a pained expression pass across her face before she continued. "The change also affected other parts of him as well, it sharpened his senses to a level only Blizzarians could fathom, which is what I meant by it being your fault."

"What do his senses being heightened have to do with it being our fault he's been acting like someone broke his favorite toy?" Shadow asked.

"Simple really, your scent." Starling answered.

"Hey! I don not stink! I took a shower before coming here!" Shadow shot back.

"No, not that scent. Your emotions, your pheromones, they set him off. Haven't you ever noticed that in battle he seems to be…a bit?" Before Starling could finish, Piper spoke up.

"Blood thirsty? Cruel? Brutal? Pitiless?" Piper said listing off the top several things that came to mind.

"That's a bit, harsh, but yes, that is what I am referring to. Kai's sense of smell is sensitive enough that he can actually smell a person's emotion, in battle; this makes him quite fierce since he is somewhat under the combined influence of everyone's hate, anger, and desire to win. But in different situations there are different results. When you thought that their was an intruder on board , you felt a degree of fear, when the fight started you more than likely became somewhat excited, and when you saw just who it was he was holding at blade point you felt a combination of fear and horror. All of these are emotional extremes, and are at different ends of the emotional spectrum. More than likely, this overloaded his cognitive functions and caused a breakdown in the higher functions of his mind."

"Uh, could you repeat that in smaller words please?" Shadow asked rubbing her head.

"He can smell emotions, the two of you went through a rapid series of various strong emotions, and his brain was too busy trying to sort out the mixed signals it was receiving to care about proper etiquette." Starling simplified.

"Ok, I think I understand that…, well, not really, but how does that explain why you were so calm? I mean, if it had been me, I probably would have been crying." Shadow said still trying to make heads or tails of what she had been told.

"I told you that I was calm because I knew that it was Kai. Ayrgyn told me that this was Kai's base before he left, but when he jumped me I momentarily forgot that and reacted on impulse, which was to defend myself. As soon as my mind took back over though I relaxed because I knew that if I allowed any strong emotions to slip though that it would make the situation worse." Starling replied hoping that the two would understand.

"Oh! I get it! You already know that he can smell emotion, so you forced yourself to keep calm so that he would cool down quicker." Piper said proud that she figured it out.

"Correct. After the scuffle though, the two of you were still feeling anxious, which in turn made him a bit more jumpy. But that doesn't explain everything that happened."

"What do you mean?" Shadow asked enjoying the fact that Starling seemed to forget all about her for the time being.

"Well, I have learned how to control my emotions, which was important for some of my missions, and in keeping Kai calm, but he never once spoke to me that harshly. He's been a little on the coarse side before, but never outright rude." She explained.

"Maybe it's because of Ayrgyn?" Piper offered.

"Could be, he doesn't seem to care much for the guy, and was rather ticked about him sending you." Shadow added.

"I don't know, I've never seen Kai that angry before with anyone other than Repton or himself. If Ayrgyn is the source of that anger, there must be something more to it than him simply being an occasional nuisance." Starling said deep in thought.

"How did Kai use to react to criticism when you trained him?" Piper asked once again going for more background info,

Starling thought it over for a few seconds, but decided there was no harm in telling. "He wasn't the most patient person in the world, but if he was in the wrong, and he knew it, he would accept it and move on." Starling answered not knowing where the younger girl was going, but hoping for some idea of what might be wrong with her friend.

"Hmmm….You said that if he knew he was in the wrong he accepted it and moved along, what about if he knew, or at least thought he was in the right?" Piper asked thinking that she had figured it out.

Snorting, Starling quickly answered. "He's one of the most stubborn people you'll ever meet. If he is one hundred percent sure about something without any shadow of a doubt, nothing will change his mind." Starling answered now looking at the younger girl. "Why are you asking this?"

"Kai told us that Ayrgyn appeared at random times giving him one task after another, and then criticized the way he does what's asked of him and the way he lives his life. Based on what you told me, I'm willing to bet that there is some facet of Kai's life that Ayrgyn picks on him for, and Kai believes that he is doing nothing wrong. Remember when he called him an old fool that thought he knew more than he really did? That just backs it up." Piper replied.

"That makes sense. But what could he possibly be that defensive over?" Shadow asked looking at Starling.

"How would I know? I haven't seen him but a handful of times in the past two years." Starling said in her defense.

"Could it have something to do with him living here?" Shadow asked.

"Why would that matter?" Piper asked ready to dismiss the thought as quickly as it came.

"Well, it's just that, he always seems to get along with Starling so well, and you did say that you had offered him several chances to leave here right?" She asked nodding towards the older woman.

"Yes, I've offered him several times. Several months ago I even offered to let him move in with me back at the Interceptors HQ, but he just said the same thing he always does when I offer him a place to stay." Starling said exasperated.

"Which is?" Piper asked.

"I can't leave here, it's not a choice it's a necessity." Starling replied in a dull voice. "Look, I appreciate you trying to help me, but if Kai is anything like he used to be, he's going to be getting up early and will expect us to do the same. Besides I've been flying for the last two days and all I want right now is to crawl in bed and go to sleep." Starling said almost whiningly.

Piper yawned in agreement. She did want to get some more details, but she also wanted to go to sleep, and sleep was much heaver on the scales of her mind than curiosity was. "Yeah, we can pick this up tomorrow, I'm bushed."

Shadow was going to argue, but saw that it would be pointless since the other two were already out cold. Deciding to wait until tomorrow, she climbed into the one unoccupied bed and soon fell asleep.

The rooms remaining two occupants quickly joined their partners. Griffy got beside Shadow and the girl rolled over so that she could use his soft feathery wings as a pillow. Radarr was not so lucky. Piper pulled him close to her and held tight.

"_Great, she's clingy."_ The Skymonkey thought as he tapped his fingers on the bed waiting for morning, having long since given up trying to release himself from the petite girls iron grip.

End Chapter 6

AN: Ok, that was my second attempt at writing one of guy's greatest fears, 'girl talk'. It's a strange and confusing language to us guys, but I think I did a half decent job. The next few chapters' things will really start to move along. I hope that you have enjoyed reading this and will continue to do so. Til next time, Ja Ne!


	7. Future Fears, Present Tears

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 7 Future Fears, Present Tears

AN: Hello and welcome to the seventh chapter of Winds of Change. This chapter will be pretty short compared to the others, but it will further delve into the depths of Kai. As for updates, things are just very, very busy right now. So they will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites). I hope that I can return to you all soon, but until then, please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, terra Ulara, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

"_This changes everything. Blast you Ayrgyn, pulling a stunt like that. Why didn't you just send Harrier while you were at it, at least I could have used him as bait or for a distraction!"_ Kai thought as he went around his room packing various supplies into one of his mission packs.

Though he preferred duffle's since they could carry more, he had to limit how much he would take with him to terra Gerudo._ "I just hope that Piper is sure of where it is, otherwise its going to be a short flight."_ He thought as he packed two heat resistant flight suites. Once again, he didn't particularly care for them, but knew that they would be needed for where they were going. It was already going to be hot enough as is; wearing black leather wouldn't help matters much.

"_So far nothing has gone right. This was supposed to be simple, but a few nosey worry warts have turned things into a bloody mess. Now I have to recalculate my plans for two additional people and animals, that means at least one more skimmer, possible two. We'll need more medical supplies, foodstuffs, ugh; this is not what I was hoping for."_ Kai forced the small backpack closed and hung it on his door beside an identical, yet empty one. _"It was supposed to be simple. A five man squadron of mostly low profile or otherwise unknown people that could move around Atmos undetected or without consequence. It's going to be nearly impossible to move seven people and two animals around without getting caught, and having Starling around will just make things worse. There isn't a person in Atmos, Cyclonian or otherwise that wouldn't recognize her at first glance. Heck, most people know her by her skimmer alone. Red Streak has won the last two Great Races, not to mention the things louder than a Bone Wing that's missing its muffler."_

Kai sat down at his desk and groaned. He allowed his head to fall onto the desk, but instead of wood his head came to rest on leather. Looking up, he saw the most recent addition to his 'I would drop you into the wastelands if ever given the chance list. The worn, moldy old tome that had started this entire mess. His mood had been rather foul, but after flipping threw a few pages he felt his heart sink. The book had quite a few maps and illustrations in it, most of which he had to admit were better than anything he had ever turned out before. He had just started to relax when he came across two things that he knew would cause more than just a few problems. He couldn't read the writing, but he recognized the illustrations plain as day.

One was a beautiful landscape. The terra was a lush jungle the seemed to be surrounded by mountains on all sides. It was what was at the center of the illustration however that caused him to nearly have a heart attack.

A large mountain with what appeared to be a temple carved into it. On either side of the entrance there were two large dragon statues facing each other with their claws held skywards.

It was terra Ulara.

This would pose a major problem for two reasons. One was that it was now heavily guarded. The Sky Council, in their oh so infinite wisdom had decided to send a large research team to investigate it for anything that could be of future use. Fortunately, Kai knew for a fact that they would never find anything of importance there, he had seen to that personally, long ago. At best they would find a six thousand year old cook book or an ancient parking ticket. Anything that he couldn't remove, he destroyed beyond recognition or repair.

The second problem was much more dire.

Starling

With his original team, he could have played dumb and acted like he had never been there before. After all, none of them had, and none of them knew much more about him than what he himself had told them. But Starling, she knew everything, and he knew that she would never lie. Withhold information yes, but never outright lie. Not only did it go against her principles, but Piper was like a living lie detector that even he had a hard time getting around on occasion. So he knew that more than likely things were going to get ugly.

The second illustration that caught his attention however, he was far more worried about.

"_Of all the things in Atmos, of all the things the Ancients left behind, why did this one thing have to be brought to light?"_ His only solace was that it was the last page of the book, the very last page. Without even giving it a second thought, he reached down to his boot and pulled out his slicer blade. "You will remain hidden." He said before searing the page at the spine and removing it, then carefully folding the page he placed it in a hidden flap on the inside of his thigh holster.

After that he had started packing for the trip to terra Gerudo. He knew it wouldn't be easy, and he did not feel comfortable leaving anyone in his base while he was gone, but he had no other choice. He could only take one passenger, and he had to have Piper with him to make this work, she was the only one that knew Marina.

Leaning back he groaned.

"_I just hope she doesn't freak out tomorrow. Or worse, squeal on me. If Aerrow, or God forbid Starling catches wind of this I'll be lucky to get away with my life."_ Looking at the clock on his wall, he figured that he had seven hours before it would be time to wake the girls._ "More than enough time."_ He thought before closing his eyes. He then allowed himself to drift into the cold embrace of darkness he had come to know so well over the past five years, but even this was not the same as before five months ago.

When Starling asked him about it, he described it as best he could. Saying it was like being in a cold wading pool with your eyes closed. But for the past few months, it had changed dramatically. No longer was it a calm pool of water, now it was now a mighty river, a torrent of feeling that passed through him like a chilling wind. This had surprised him greatly since Rose had explained to him that this was his mental plane, the manifestation of his current state of mind.

He had tried to restore it to its previous state, but he had no clue how to do it. He was literally standing in the middle of a raging river and had noting to stop it with other than his own body. Added to that, it seemed to go on indefinitely, no matter how long he walked, or on occasion swam; he never seemed to reach a bank. It just kept going on and on. After one particularly desperate attempt he had come to find that he had been out for nearly three days. With each passing day it seemed to get worse, the water was colder, the river moved faster, and worst of all, it was getting deeper. It had started out at waist level, but now it was up to his shoulders. Even now he was aware that the water had risen another inch since just a few days ago.

"_Rose, where are you? If I could just see where on Atmos I was going this wouldn't be so bloody hard."_ That was another thing that frightened him. Around the same time this started happening, he had completely lost contact with Rose. He knew that she was still there, but he couldn't hear her over the roaring water, and his sense's had clouded up to the point the he no longer trusted them. _"I've got to get out of here."_ Kai thought as he nearly slipped and fell in. He knew that the water would sweep him away easily if he did.

Opening his eyes, it took a few minutes for things to come back into focus. Looking up at the clock he saw that he had been out for almost eight hours._ "Crud, I overslept."_ Kai thought as he got up from the chair he had been sitting in and did a few stretches before heading out the door with a single thought in mind.

"_It starts today."_

End Chapter 7

AN: Short and confusing I know. But it will make more sense later on, I promise. In the mean time, if anyone wants their OC's to have a guest appearance, just say so in a review or PM me. Till next time, Ja Ne!


	8. The Dream! The Vision?

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 8 The Dream! The Vision?

AN: Ah, finally! I've been looking forward to writing this chapter since I started this story. This marks not only the first appearance of Marina, but also a creature that I will refer to as "The Black Monster". It will make several more appearances throughout my works. As for future updates, things are just very, very busy right now. So they will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites).

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, also I own nothing relating to Legend of the Dragoon, last time I tried to get it, Sony said no,  however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, terra Ulara, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

**Warning: Chapter is dark compared to previous works by me that you might have read. You have been warned.**

It was the same.

No matter where she looked it was the same.

Ethereal flames of scarlet crimson lit the night sky ablaze; even the moon itself seemed burn.

She could hear screams of pain and agony that echoed through her very being. The wind carried the cries of those lost to this ungodly terror.

She ran.

"_Why am I running?"_ She thought. _"I can't control my body, this is wrong."_ As hard as she tried, she couldn't do a thing. Her body was taking her where it willed, and it willed her to see this horror, this nightmare.

She had to duck and dodge, weave and roll to evade the falling debris. Wood, glass, stone and mortar, it didn't matter, it was everywhere, it fell from the sky itself, it flew from every direction.

Then she heard it.

The most feral, bloodthirsty howl in existence. It carried a weight of wrath unlike anything she had ever heard before, but at the same time, it carried grief and agony, pain beyond that of which any mortal could withstand.

The cry came from every direction; it was in front of her, behind her, above her. It encompassed and engulfed her very being.

Again it cried.

Like a wolf separated from its pack, and beaten to an inch of its life.

She nearly fell to her knees in agony.

It wasn't just a sound, it wasn't just a cry. She could feel the pain, the anguish, the misery that forced itself into the depths of her soul, forcing her to choke back both tears from her eyes and bile from her stomach. With each passing cry, she felt herself grow more and more ill. It was like a stain, a stain on her soul.

"_I don't know what's worse, the fire, or the sound."_ She thought as she cringed. It was becoming hot, far to hot she thought. That's when she noticed the snow, the entire town was surrounded by at least five feet of snow, but the town itself was bare, not even wet.

"_It must be those flames! They've melted the snow and evaporated it, but what could perform such an feat? Not even Din's Fire can act on a scale such as this!"_ She realized in mute horror.

_**AAAUUUUURRRROOOOUUUGTHHHHHHHHHH**_

She fell.

She couldn't take it anymore. She fell to the ground, curled into the fetal position, and for the first time in many, many years, Marina Dragmire cried.

The sheer pain, the raw emotion that those howls carried spoke a language so primal, so fundamental, that it was understood at a person's very core, their very being.

_Running footsteps and panting_

"_Someone's coming."_

Next thing she knew, she was getting up, standing, and in a defensive stance with both scimitars drawn and ready.

But she wasn't.

She was still on the ground, kneeling, watching.

"_How can I be there and here at the same time?"_ Looking down, she saw that, she was indeed where she was. She could still feel the stinging pain from where she had clinched her fist into the gravel; she could still feel the heat from the surrounding flames, she could even feel the sweat that dropped from her brown.

But there she was, standing before herself with her back turned away.

"Hey! Who are you?!" Marina shouted as she rose up.

The other ignored her.

"Hey! I asked you a question!" Marina strode up to the other and went to place her hand on their shoulder, but it fell through, as if trying to touch air.

"AAHH!" Screaming Marina pulled back her hand, but nothing was wrong with it, she felt no pain, she wasn't changing colors, nothing was wrong. And the other continued to ignore her.

"HELP!"

Looking past her other self, she saw a man running towards both of them. One of his legs was dragging behind him, obviously badly injured. The rest of him wasn't in much better shape. Most of his cloths were charred, and the visible flesh underneath was badly burned. But none of this seemed to slow him down, he was running as fast as any healthy male she had ever seen in her lifetime.

"HELP! HE'S GOING TO KILL US ALL!"

"Who? What's going on?!" Marina shouted, but her questions went unanswered. Getting annoyed, she ran towards the man and reeled back her fist, and let it fly.

Nothing.

Her fist went through him as though he was smoke, and he ran right through her.

Turning, she saw him grab her other self by the shoulders and start shouting franticly over the roaring flames.

"You have to stop him! He's going to kill us all! He's going to destroy everything!"

"Not everyone, not everything."

Marina turned to the source of the unnatural voice, but only saw flame.

"Just you."

Then she saw it, and felt her blood turn to ice.

In all the years she had lived, all the battles she had fought, and all the monsters she had slain, never before had she seen anything so vile, so ominous.

At first, all she could see were a pair of menacing smoky grey eyes through the scarlet flames. Eyes that burned with wrath and furry. But as they approached, a silhouette began to form around them. She couldn't see much, as this creature seemed to be the source of the crimson flames, but she could see that it vaguely resembled a human in form, but its waist length hair whipped wildly around its face, blocking it from sight, almost as though this creature was standing in the center of a vortex.

"STAY AWAY!" The man shouted.

"Marina, stand aside."

She was shocked. This creature knew her name? How was that possible? She had never seen anything like it before, not even the vile creatures her father had summoned resembled anything close to it. She was brought out of her thoughts by her own voice, or rather, that of her other.

"I can not allow you to do that. What he did was wrong, and he deserves to be punished, but not like this!" Her counterpart shouted having now placed herself between the creature and the trembling man.

"Stand aside now. You will not be given another warning Dragmire." The flames around the creature intensified tenfold; forcing both Marina's to look away. When she looked back, she saw two large translucent wings slowly spread open from the creatures back, rattling and hissing like an angry serpent as they did so.

Once again, the creature spoke as though it knew her personally. She thought back as hard as she could, trying to will herself to remember if she had seen anything of the sort before, but there was nothing.

"Please, friend, don't make me fight you. Don't do anything you'll regret, for her sa." Before she could finish, the creature roared.

"**Do not speak of her! It is because of him that she is gone! He may have been the one to start this, but I will be the one to finish's it!"** The creature roared.

Marina then noticed that the cowering man was now grinning like a shark, she then saw him pull out a crystal from a pouch on his belt. Right away she recognized the blood red crystal.

"_It's an Oblivion Stone! I have to warn them!"_ Taking in a deep breath, she shouted. "LOOK OUT!" But her warning came too late.

"Thank you my dear for distracting the beast." The man shoved the other her to the ground and fired a blast from the stone.

The creature didn't even flinch.

Just as it struck, the creature swatted the blast away with the back of its hand as though it were no more than fly.

"Twice you have tried to send me to Oblivion, and twice you have failed. You will not live to try again." The creature's voice seethed with anger, rage, and, something else, something that Marina had not heard in many years.

Sickening satisfaction.

This creature, whatever it was, not only intended to kill the man before it, but it intended to enjoy every second of it.

Everything went silent. It was like someone had pressed the mute button on the world.

Marina watched as her counterpart pulled an orange coin shaped crystal from her side pouch, and attach it to the based of one of her scimitars, then link it to the second one, so that the crystal was in the center.

While this happened, the air around the creature began to pick up speed, throwing bricks, chunks of concrete, pieces of buildings, anything unfortunate enough to be between the man and the creature out in every direction.

Marina watched as her other jumped back up and landed between the man and the creature, holding he double blade firmly in hand.

"Farewell." The creature said as a beam of black and crimson energy fired forth from it. The surrounding buildings crumbled, despite the beam not even hitting them, it merely passed by them.

"_Those buildings were knocked down by the recoil concussion alone! If that beam hits me, it'll!"_

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

_Deep panting_

Several seconds passed and the door to her room was kicked in.

"Marina!? What happened? Is there an intruder?!" Naboroou shouted as she ran it.

Marina didn't respond, she couldn't. She was shaking so bad that she couldn't even look up.

"Marina? What happened?" Naboroou asked shaking her shoulders, trying to get through to her.

Marina felt a chill starting to set in. Though scorching hot during the day, terra Gerudo was surprisingly cold at night. She reached up to her face and tried to wipe it clear, but this proved difficult due to her hands being soaked with sweat. Looking down she noted that her evening gown was sticking to her body like a second skin; even her pillow and sheets were soaked.

"Marina, what happened?" Naboroou asked cringing as she wrapped on arm around her still trembling friend._ "She needs a shower, bad."_ She thought.

"It was, it was noting. Just a bad dream." Marina swallowed as she gripped her left wrist with her right hand, trying to force herself calm, and the shaking to stop. When she saw the doubtful look Naboroou had in her eyes she scoffed. "It was just a bad dream, nothing more. I should probably lay off the whatever stew for awhile, but aside from that I'm fine."

Naboroou was silent for a few moments, but when Marina proved unable to stop shaking, she spoke. "Marina, I, I've told you about what happened, in the seven year war, correct?" She asked carefully.

It took a few seconds for her adrenalin supercharged brain to understand just what it was he friend was getting at, but now she was confused at why she would bring up the subject now. "Yeah, you told me." Marina knew it was a _very_ sensitive subject for her friend, so she listened carefully.

"After _those_ two got a hold of me, and Link disappeared." Naboroou stopped for a moment as she willed herself to remain strong, there was time to cry later, time to feel the pain of loss later, but right now, she needed to help her queen. "I told you, I told you that for seven years they controlled my like a puppet." She stopped when Marina squeezed her shoulder.

"Naboroou, what you did when you were under _their_ control is in the past. You weren't responsible for your actions, and those that were have long since been taken care of, you know that." Marina said comfortingly.

"I know that, and I have come to accept it, but, there is one thing that I never told you, or anyone for that matter." Turning, she looked the younger woman in the eye so that she could get a small glimpse of the pain she felt. "I never told anyone this, but during those seven years, I was not asleep, I was not wondering through some darkness in the depths of my mind. I was right here." She tapped her forehead. "I saw every second of it, felt every minute of it, lived every day of it. I was there, but I couldn't do anything about it, nothing but see, hear, feel, and smell everything that happened. All I could do was watch, cry, and prey that someone would free me from my prison. Seven years." At this point she shuddered.

Marina was shocked. All this time everyone had assumed that people that were being controlled were in a sleep like state, no one had ever said otherwise.

But then again, Naboroou was the only one still alive, and she never spoke of the incident unless necessary. Which lead her to a very disturbing thought._ "Why is she telling me this now of all times?"_

"Marina, sometimes," She paused. "Sometimes I have nightmares about those days. It doesn't happen often, but every now and then one will pop up." She looked back down at the younger woman. "But no matter how bad they are, no matter which memory it is, even the ones of when I was trying to kill Link, I have never screamed like that. Not from a bad dream, not from a nightmare, not even from a night terror. No dream affects a person to this extent." She held her friend closer, but almost as if to prove her point, the younger woman was still trembling. "Now wash up and change, I'll meet you downstairs ok?" She asked as she got up and walked to the open doorway.

"Where are you going?" Marina asked, not really wanting to be alone at the moment. The older woman seemed to understand this and tried to help by lightening the atmosphere a bit. "Well, first I'm going to tell the chambermaid to change out your bed, and then I'm going to see if I can find someone to replace your door." She said with a reassuring smile before leaving.

Marina shivered one last time before heading to the baths. _"It felt so real, but, how is it that I could have a dream and still see myself?"_ One last thought ran through her mind as she gathered her toiletries. _"That's the last time I eat week old whatever stew for dinner."_

Naboroou waited patently in the kitchen for her friend. She had told the truth back in Marina's bedroom. Never before had even her worst memories caused her to cry out like that. Sure a few were pretty bad, and there was the odd thought here and there that would spring up every now and then that did cause her a bit of grief, but nothing even close to what she had heard coming through her queens bedroom door. Not even the anger she occasionally felt towards _her_, or the venom she still held for _them_. It wasn't long before Marina finally made her way into the kitchen.

"Ok, now will you tell me what this is about?" She asked.

Naboroou raised a single eyebrow before responding. "I think you've got our roles reversed little lady." She grinned when she saw the disdainful look on the younger's face. She knew that Marina positively hated that nickname. "Now I want you to tell me exactly what happened, what you saw, and what it was that scared you to the point of screaming like Zelda at a ball dance." She grinned at the little quip, even if it stung a little.

Marina took a deep breath, and began retelling the dream as best she could, knowing that since Naboroou had opened to her earlier, that she was expected to do the same. Naboroou remained silent throughout the exchange, only asking an a few questions for more detail or clarification. When it was over, she began rubbing her chin in deep thought.

"Like I said, I just need to lay off of the whatever stew for awhile and I should be fine." Marina was about to get up when the older woman caught her wrist.

"Marina, what you described didn't sound like a dream, it sounded more like a vision." Her tone was completely serious, devoid of any form of humor.

"Vision? But, that's impossible!" Marina was cut off by the sage before she could continue.

"Oh? Why might that be? Though I haven't had many myself, I have had a few, trust me, that was a vision, not a normal dream." Naboroou said, still just as serious as before.

"But, but, that's not possible. I'm not a sage, I'm just a normal gerudo, nothing." Naboroou once again cut her off.

"Normal? Have you forgotten just who you are? Or should I say, who your father was? Yes, it is true that Sage's are far more likely to have a vision than a normal person would, but they are not the only ones. Link, Princess Zelda, you Father! They all had visions; they all used them to their own means. Those who are linked to the tri-force are just as important as the sages. They form a balance, by keeping the power in check, while at the same time providing that same power a way to interact with the environment." Naboroou had yet to release the younger girl's wrist.

Marina sank back down to the table, white as a ghost. "Then, what do I do? If this is something that will happen, what's the use? Whatever that thing is, there is no way I could possibly fight it, and like I said in the vision, I didn't even want to fight it, whoever, or whatever it is, they are my friend." Marina was not happy. She had not only found out that she had more in common with her late father than before, but also that she was going to make a friend, a friend whom she would either have to kill, or would be killed by.

"Just because you saw it in a vision doesn't mean that it_ will_ happen, it just means that it _could_ happen. My advice to you, is that while you have the time, study up on Oblivion stones. You know quite a bit when it comes to crystals in general, but in this case, it seems that the Oblivion crystal is part of the key. Whatever, or whoever this creature is, it's someone that will become your friend, that means that it will be someone that you trust." Marina then cut off the older woman.

"But it said the _she_ was gone, what do I do about _her_?" The younger girl asked while making a mental note to see if anything in her father's notes would be of use in the matter.

"That is the second key. You need to find out just who _she_ is. It's pretty obvious that it's someone that you know, or someone you will come to know, and this person is the second half of the key to this creature. Protect her, and the creature will remain benign." Naboroou said sagely. (Pun intended)

"Any idea when it might happen?" Marina asked nervously, wanting to get a general idea for how much time she had to get ready.

To this, the older woman shrugged. "You said that it was snowing, which tells me that it was not on terra gerudo, and from what you told me, you looked the same as you do now. So it could be anytime within the next five to six years." Naboroou replied.

"Yeah, but it can't be anytime soon, The Grand Festival is next week and I can't go anywhere until that's over with. And then…wait a minute, how do I know this wasn't just some weird, pain induced nightmare? Is there any way to test it to see if it was in fact a vision?" Marina asked, now confident that she figured it out.

"No, there is no way to be sure, I only said that it sounded more like a vision than it did a normal dream." Naboroou said exasperated.

"Yeah right, even you have to admit it doesn't sound even remotely possible. Some creature from the depths of the netherworld befriending me, then me willingly leaving terra Gerudo for some unknown reason? Besides, no creature has eyes like that, not even the creatures from Oblivion that the ancient texts speak of mention grayish colored eyes." Marina got up and was about to go back to bed when she turned to address her friend. "I appreciate this little talk, at least now I can go back to sleep. Thank you my friend." Marina smiled warmly before going back upstairs.

Nadoroou sighed. "I hope your right Marina, I hope your right."

End Chapter 8

AN: So? Like? I've had this chapter in my head for a while now, not quite sure it turned out the way I wanted, but this was about as close as I could get without using actual pictures. Prize for whoever can guess who the _them _and _her _that Naboroou spoke so bitterly about are! Also, please review! And while you're waiting for the next chapter, check out my other stories! Till next time, Ja Ne!


	9. Secrets of the Deep

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 9 Secrets of the Deep

AN: Alright, now its time for some of Kai's dirty laundry to get dragged out into the open. In past stories by other authors, Kai has seemingly appeared out of thin air, almost as if he were a ghost. So, I decided to try and make a plausible explanation for this, as well as have some fun with Piper's character. Also, I hav received several…comments about the Black Monster. People, do you really think that I would give away something like that so quickly or easily? There is much more to this story than meets the eye, as you'll find out in this chapter. As for updates, things are just very, very busy right now. So they will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, and Sony Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Kai was about to knock on the door when he heard a rather strange sound. Putting his ear to the door, he confirmed that it was indeed what he first thought it was.

Giggling

Taking a step back he raised his hand and knocked.

"One minute!" Shadow's muffled voice called out from the other side of the door. The door opened and he was surprised to see that the room looked as though it had been hit by a tornado.

Of feathers.

"Uh, do I even want to know?" He asked.

"Oh, uh, I was trying to teach Starling how to have a pillow fight. But she went all ninja on me." Shadow replied rubbing a rather large bump on her head before continuing. "How can anyone her age not know anything about slumber parties?"

At this point another pillow hit her in the back of the head and Piper could be heard laughing.

"I am not old, I'm only twenty four!"

"It's probably because the only other females on Mesa were nearly twenty years older than her, and guys don't have slumber parties." Kai replied.

"Yeah they have camp outs!" Piper said before laughing.

That's when Kai heard something he hadn't heard in a long, long time.

Starling laugh.

He managed to fight back the small smile that tried to force itself onto his face before he addressed the three. "Listen, today we have a lot to do, and I had something I needed to show you as soon as possible. Would now be convenient?"

Before Shadow could open her mouth Starling replied. "Just give us a minute and we'll be out." She then shut the door and dragged Shadow's frozen form like a caveman dragging his club. "Not a word out of you." She whispered.

"But, but, it's just so funny." She said between snickers. "Would now be convenient? He almost sounded like Harrier." Before she could break out into a full fit of laughs Starling covered her mouth with one hand.

"Look, I know that Kai might seem a bit…cultured, but it isn't a very good idea to nitpick with him in the morning. He's about as much of a morning person as Finn if that gives you any indication. Also, for the record, do not mention Harrier around him, trust me, it is a very, very, bad idea to bring up that particular name up anywhere near him, let alone compare them." Staring said in a somewhat serious voice.

A few moments later they opened the door and stepped out.

"Uh, Piper, you have a feather in your hair." Shadow pointed out.

Looking up Piper saw the offending feather and quickly pulled it out.

"Come on, we need to get going." Kai said before heading down the hall they had entered yesterday.

After the door closed, Radarr and Griffy stuck their heads out from under one of the beds. When the two saw that the girls were gone, the let out a sigh of relief.

"Uh, why are we going back into the dark cold place again?" Shadow asked hoping that it was to get on their skimmers and leave this miserable terra.

"This will not be a short term mission, and we have no idea how long it will be in-between stops at friendly terras. So we'll need to get together our supplies before we head out." Kai answered.

"But what about Marina and the others?" Piper asked now confused._ "He expects the four of us to carry all the supplies the entire time?"_

"We will collect Rondana and Tigger after we have met with Marina. She is the largest unknown factor and we need to clear that up before doing anything else." Kai said opening another hatch and entering.

"Kai, from what Piper has told me, it will take almost a week just to reach terra Gerudo. We can't afford that kind of expense in time." Starling said speaking for the first time since leaving the room.

"I am aware of that Star, don't you have some faith in me?" It was hard to tell if the hurt in his voice was serious or not, but before Starling could respond he continued. "Here we are." As he spoke he opened yet another hatch. Unlike the previous rooms they had been in, this one was pitch black and had no source of visible light.

"What is this AHHH UFHH!" Shadow screamed as she tripped and fell on her face.

"Oh, uh, watch that first step." Kai said sheepishly.

"Gee ya think!" Shadow shouted. Had there been any light, you would have seen a large tick mark grow as she shouted.

"How can you even tell where we are?" Piper asked walking slowly so as not to fall as Shadow had.

"Well, for one thing, I live here. Two, I put all the stuff that's in here, in here. And three, I can see pretty well in the dark. Stars not complaining." Kai said pointed out.

"That's because I'm used to stealth conditions. Piper and Shadow didn't receive special, or black ops training." Starling replied helping Shadow up and following Kai's voice.

"Then how does?" Before Shadow could finish the question she felt a hand across her mouth, then head Starling whisper.

"Don't ask, not yet ok?" She could tell by the tone that this was more than just a simple warning, and nodded her head in compliance.

Shadow nodded wondering what the big secret was. _"Geeze they make out like he's Cyclonis's brother or something, what could have happened that was that bad?"_

They then heard a loud click, like a large switch being thrown.

"WOAH!" Shadow and Piper both gaped at the sight that now lay before them.

It was a like the inside of a huge warehouse. Crates and boxes of every shape and size were everywhere, almost going up to the ceiling. They all shared one thing in common though; the all had the Cyclonian insignia on their sides.

"Where did you get all this?" Piper asked eyes wide.

"When I found….this place and moved in, I was confronted by Captain Scabulous and the Murk Raiders. I made my point that I was not leaving anytime soon, and they made their point that they would not be leaving me alone anytime soon, so we made a deal of sorts. I supply them with information on all known Cyclonian convoy routes and they leave me alone. On occasion I assist them, in which case I'm given the same privileges as any other Raider." Kai answered flatly.

"And what might those privileges be?" Starling asked pointedly.

"I get to keep whatever I find so long as I'm the one that finds it, carry's it, and can hold onto it until I reach the ship." Kai replied.

"But, but, how? I mean, you have more here than most armories!" Shadow shouted.

"Actually no, weapons and crystals are stored in a separate area, this is supplies only." Kai said reaching into his pocket.

All three girls eyes bugged out at this revelation.

"_He's got enough here to supply an army for months!" _Piper thought.

"Ok, Star, Shadow, these are for you." Kai said holding out two small black books.

"What are these for?" Shadow asked as she and Starling took the two small books.

"These are maps of the bases interior. DO NOT lose them." Kai said sternly.

"Um, Kai, why are you giving them maps of your base?" Piper asked now completely lost._ "I thought we were going to speak with Marina? But now he's going on about supplies? Where is he going with all this?"_

"Simple really. Those books will tell you where you can find almost anything I have in this base. Star, I have never led a team before, much less for a mission that might be a month or longer. I need for you to pull together whatever supplies you think a squadron of seven humans and two…nonhumans would need for a six to eight week long mission." Kai was interrupted by Shadow.

"Then why did you give me one?" The young girl asked slightly confused.

"You are going to help her. Along with Griffy and Radarr if they are willing." Kai replied with a grin.

"But you'll be gone for weeks! What are Starling and me supposed to do while you're gone? Play poker with the Murks?" Shadow asked sarcastically.

"We will only be gone for three days. When we return, I will give you further information depending on whether or not Marina decides to help us." Kai was cut off from continuing by Piper.

"Three days? You can't be serious, more like three weeks! There is no way to reach terra Gerudo and back in three days, not possible." Piper said confidently.

"Actually there is, and we will. Piper, over there you will find the female uniforms that have the required weave you will need. Please take what you think you will need for three days. I suggest that you do anything else you need to within the next hour since that is when we will be leaving. I will return for you then." Before Kai could leave he felt a strong grip on his arm.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Starling asked.

"You told me never to give you orders, so I'm not, I asked you. Star, I told you I have never done anything like this before. I can take care of myself for a few weeks, but I've never." Starling cut him off.

"Not the supplies, you know full well what I'm talking about. I can read Kai; those boxes have heat resistant uniforms in them." Starling said harshly.

"Yes, they do. Terra Gerudo is a desert type environment, and I wish to take the proper precautions." Kai answered honestly.

"Oh really? And it has nothing to do with how you intend to reach it and return within three days time? I'm not a fool Kai." She stopped when she saw the understanding, then hurt expressions pass across his face.

"Star, I would never take Piper crust jumping. I know that she's not ready for anything like that. I don't even do that unless I have no other choice." His tone was both hurt and defensive.

"But, how?" Kai cut her off.

"Look, it's not something I talk about. I have a way, that's all that matters, for now, you'll just have to trust me." Kai was in turn cut off by Starling.

"Oh? Just like you have trusted me? It's a little hard to put trust in someone when they don't show any towards you in return." Starling shot back.

Kai's shoulders slumped. "Look, it's just not something that's safe to talk about, anywhere really. I promise that when this is over, I'll explain it, but for right now, you have to trust me." Kai said pleadingly.

Starling could tell that he was troubled by the subject, whatever it was. But at the same time she could see that he was being honest, and knew that he would keep his word. "Fine, but you had better explain more than just that when this is over. Do I make myself clear?"

"Clear as crystal." Kai replied with a smirk which Starling scoffed at.

"Um, is this right?"

The two turned to see Piper wearing a very familiar uniform. It was a black and purple body suite that had leather guards on and around the wrist, forearms and thighs.

"Hey! That's one of Ravess uniforms! What a minute, why do you even have female uniforms?" Shadow asked accusingly.

"It was a…mistake. The Cycloninas don't label their boxes very well. It just said uniforms type:HR. It didn't say they were woman's uniforms." Kai replied slightly red.

"I take it you didn't get exactly what you had thought you would correct?" Starling asked teasingly.

"You could say that." Kai quickly answered before remembering something. "Oh here." Kai tossed a mission pack that had been hanging on the wall to Piper who looked at it oddly.

"What's this for? I have a bag in my room?" She asked.

"I know, but it's too big for us to take on this run. Anything that you're bringing with you goes in that; if it doesn't fit then don't bring it." Kai said as he double checked to make sure he had everything packed.

"So, like, what are we supposed to do with all the stuff we pull? You want us to stuff it on our skimmers or something?" Shadow asked.

Kai zipped his pack and slung it over his shoulder. "No, anything that you pull put it on the platform over there." Kai pointed at a floor panel that was about three times the size of a skimmer over against one of the walls. "Oh, and any rooms that are locked, don't try to open, I have a security system active on them, and if the Murk's do drop by, tell them if they try to mess with you, they'll hear from me." Kai said as he walked to the door waiting for Piper.

"Anything else?" Starling asked dryly.

Kai tapped his chin in thought. "Oh, and Shadow, don't play the Murk's in poker. Eyeball cheats and Scabulous is a sore loser." He replied before heading out.

The two, now alone looked at each other when their stomachs growled loudly.

"Can you cook?" They both asked the other.

"So, would you mind telling me how it is you intend to get to terra Gerudo and back in three days?" Piper asked as she tugged at the flight suits neck, still adjusting to the material.

"It's….complicated." Kai replied as he approached a wall panel and quickly entered a access code. Piper tried to memorize it, but only caught the last few digits. There was a buzz, a loud thunking, and then the door opened to yet another dark room.

"Um where are we?" Piper asked as she stepped into the darkened room, slightly nervous.

Kai didn't respond, which slightly unnerved her, that and the fact that she could hear the echo's of their foot steps, which clacked like thunder.

_Thrunk_

One by one, rows of overhanging lights cut on, bringing the room to light.

Piper was speechless.

"Where did? There must be dozens?" She said looking around. The room was just like the previous one, a large warehouse. But instead of boxes or crates, this one had several rows of skimmers.

"Switchblade, Switchblade Elite, Bone Wing, Skimmer III Ultra, EL, XL, Grinder, You even have a Slip Wing Fighter Ultra?! They haven't made any of those in twenty years! How did you? Wait a minute, why do you even have all these?" Piper asked furrowing her brow.

"To answer your first question, most of them came from raids, the others I found laying around the wastelands and fixed up. As for why, I guess I just needed something to do. I live by myself, and if I didn't have something to keep my mind occupied I would have gone nuts a long time ago. Besides, I've always loved to tinker." He replied shrugging his shoulders.

This made Piper somewhat sad. She knew how skimmers were shipped and transported, in pieces._ "He's had enough time to build several squadrons worth of skimmers from the block up? And if what he said was true, and he got those others from the wastelands, they would have needed extensive repairs."_ She thought as she looked around the room. It looked a lot like the area that Stork and Junko had put together on the Condor, a mechanics dream come true, complete with every tool imaginable, and a few that weren't. The walls that didn't have tools hanging from them were covered with skimmer schematics, and what looked like a few hand drawn blueprints.

"I spend more time in here than any other room, even got around to installing a little kitchenette." Kai laughed somewhat sheepishly as he pointed out a small fridge and microwave stuffed into a corner.

"_He's…so alone here. He drowns himself in work to keep his mind from realizing just how alone he is."_ When this thought passed through her mind, she shuddered at a particular memory from long ago. One of a very young girl with blue hair, sitting at an old oak desk surrounded by many, many stacks of books.

"Want to see my newest toy?" Kai asked snapping her out of the cold memory.

"Sure." Piper could see that he was trying to change the subject, and for once, she didn't mind.

Walking to the last table on the row, he lowered it and removed the drop cloth that covered it.

Now Piper wan not much of a mechanic, she knew classifications, designs and such, but not much else. But she recognized something that a person had put their heart into, this was no different.

It looked like a Bone Wing, or rather; it _had_ been a Bone Wing at one point. The bottom wings had been removed completely, and the top pair had been reversed, making it more aerodynamic. Almost all of the armor had been removed, with the exception of the wings and fuselage, cutting off half of its total weight. The entire back end had been redesigned to the point it was no longer recognizable, with twin Magma 72 boosters, on top of the normal, yet still oversized thrusters. Added to this, a ball joint had been installed at the connection point between the wings and fuselage giving it increased mobility almost to the point of a zero degree turning radius. All these were true marks of craftsmanship, but there was one thing that immediately caught her attention.

"Why are the wings so thick?" She asked. Even thought it was in bike form, one could clearly see that the folded wings were almost twice as thick as were normal for any skimmer.

"That, is my personal favorite touch." He said climbing onto the skimmer. "What is the one weakness of all skimmers, the only advantage that heliscooters and heliblades have on land?" Kai asked.

This took Piper a minute. She was not a gear head, but she did fly a heliscooter._ "What is the advantage? The reason I fly one has nothing to do with an advantage of any sort, I just prefer it."_ She ran a few pieces of information through her head, and that's when it clicked._ "The weapons for a skimmer are hard mounted to the wings, a heliscooter and heliblades are on the sides!"_ Piper smirked when she figured it out. "A skimmer can only fire its weapons while in flight, unless it has been customized like Finn's." She answered.

Kai grinned. "Exactly." Flipping a switch, two cannons swung up from the tops of the wings, like a Swiss army knife.

Piper gawked. Each of the two cannons was at least five feet long. It was painfully obvious that they were not exactly designed with a skimmer in mind; in fact, they almost looked like the anti-aircraft cannons on terra Bogata.

"Like?" Kai asked grinning like the cat that ate the canary. But his face switched back to serious before she could respond. "Hop on, we need to get going." He said as the cannons went upwards then rolled back into the wings.

Piper nodded, still slightly dazed at the thought of a skimmer that could fire while on land.

"You might want to hold on tight." Kai said as he revved the engine to maximum.

Piper noted that it didn't roar like a normal skimmer, instead of a loud cry, it almost sounded like a hole in an air hose. _"This thing's built to be nimble, and its armed to the teeth, then add in the fact that it makes almost no noise. It's a predator."_ She thought as she once again wrapped her arms around his waste. Looking down she noticed that the wheels were in what looked like a slot car track. "Uh, Kai, I think you're stuck." Piper said still not looking up.

Kai looked down, than over his shoulder to her face. "No problems that I see." He replied grinning.

At this time, two doors opened at the opposite end of the hanger, and a metal plate slid around the back tire.

"Hey Piper?" Kai asked.

_Beep_

"Yes?" She replied.

_Beep_

"When's the last time your lungs got a good workout?" He asked.

_Beep_

"Workout? What are you?" She was cut off from answering.

_**BEEP**_

The skimmer shot forward like a slingshot, barreling down the hanger at breakneck speed.

Piper squealed and screamed, Kai yahooed as they were flung out of the hanger bay. Seconds later, Kai deployed the wings, and dived, all the while grinning like a mad man. He made a mental note to avoid Piper once they landed however, due to the fact that she would probably kill him when given the chance.

Piper was holding tightly to the pilot and breathing deeply. She had never gone that fast on a skimmer before, not even Aerrow's moved that fast with the booster. The adrenalin rush was taking her over, she could feel thousands of little needles digging into her skin, she was excited and scared at the same time, but she didn't care in the least. She knew that she should be mad with Kai, but she wasn't, she was having the time of her life. Looking back, she noticed something, something that made her already scary grin shift into one that would make Suzi proud.

The booster weren't even on.

This thing went faster on its normal thrusters than most carriers. _"Before this is all over, I have got to see how fast this thing can really go."_ She decided. But then, a second thought came to her._ "As fast as this thing is, it's still not as fast as the Condor, not by a long shot. How does he plan on getting to Gerudo and back in three days?"_ Looking around, she noticed that they were going deeper and deeper into terra Deep. "Where are we going?" She asked.

Kai sighed. _"No way to explain my way out of this one. I just hope she can keep her mouth shut until this is all over."_ Kai took several seconds to arrange his thoughts, making sure to word his response carefully. "We're going to the Gate of Mayfil. It will allow us to travel to terra Gerudo and back quickly."

Piper once again furrowed her brow. "Gate of Mayfil? What is that?"

"Mayfil is terra Deeps true name, the name the ancients gave it when they settled here four thousand years ago." Kai replied.

"Wait a minute, are you telling me that there is an ancients city here? Here? On terra Deep?" Piper asked in a mix of shock and anger.

"No, there is no city of the ancients on terra Mayfil." Kai said in a monotone voice.

"But, you just said." Piper was cut off.

"I said they settled here, and there is no city. Mayfil was too important for them to build a city around." Kai brought his skimmer around one of the many columns of crystal the formed what many knew of terra Deep. Piper asked him something, but he didn't respond, right now, he needed to concentrate.

Piper was growing frustrated at the lack of information and was about to try and smack some sense into Kai's head when she saw the reason for his silence. The columns were growing thinner, but they were much more numerous. These smaller columns also appeared to be much, much more jagged, almost to the point of becoming a spiked wall.

"Hold on, this parts a little tricky." Kai said as he floored the accelerator.

Piper held for dear life as the skimmer picked up speed, but for the life of her she couldn't understand why he was accelerating. It was far from a straight shot; he was still maneuvering around and dodging the crystal spires. "Kai! Look out!" She shouted.

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears. He ignored her and even seemed to speed up towards the solid wall that lay before them.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

_Flash_

When Piper felt that they had slowed down to a near stop, she slightly opened one eye. "We're not dead?"

Kai seemed to take a minute to respond, but what he said didn't exactly comfort her.

"No, we're not dead. Not yet anyways." Kai muttered the second part under his breath. "You ok back there?" He asked, genuenly concerned.

"I think so…."

_Smack_

"What is wrong with you!" Piper shouted. "Flying at those speeds through a rat's nest of a mine field! We could have been killed!" Before Piper could continue however, she got the chance to look around.

There was crystal all around them, shiny, green, translucent crystal. It seemed to give off an eerie glow, almost like a lava lamp, only it was cold, very, very cold. Looking around, she saw that they were in some kind of sphere, a sphere comprised entirely of this strange crystal.

"Well, welcome to the fortress of Mayfil." Kai replied as he put the skimmer into hover mode and turned it to its side, allowing Piper to see their destination.

Piper's eyes widened.

End Chapter 9

AN: Muhahahahaha! I have become the ultimate master of cliffhanger-no-jutsu! (Ducks pitchfork) Awww come on! Admit it! You guys (and girls) loved it! I know you did! Look forward to the next chapter whenever I can get around to it. Don't worry though, I'm not going to leave you hanging. Please review! Till next time, Ja Ne!


	10. The Gate, The Others, The Split!

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 10 The Gate, The Others, The Split!

AN: Sticks head out door. "Are the angry villagers gone?"

Mob:"WAAAGG!"

"AHH! Ok ok I get the point. Look, to be completely honest, I prewrite most of my stuff several weeks in advance when I can. This is because I am a complete scatterbrain with a major case of ADHD. I write and rewrite, edit and change each chapter to make it fit with new ideas that I come up with several chapters later. If I updated as soon as I finished the chapters, then you'd miss out on a lot of really cool ideas. One such example is 'the others' that will appear every now and then. I ask that you please bear with me, as I have repeatedly stated, I am new at this. As for updates, things are just very, very busy right now. So they will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra! (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites). Enjoy!

Oh, and a special shout out to Sonic Writer. I thank you for reviewing, my work. Same kinda goes out to ShadowQueen25, MissDedodakes and Star Wars Nut, but they and Mysgrl7 have been reviewing my work since I started. I thank all of you! Your words inspire me to keep going!

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, and Sony Entertainment, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Shadow and Starling tore through their map books as Radarr and Griffy watched from a safe distance.

"COME ON! HE HAS TO HAVE LISTED WHERE THE KITCHEN IS!" Shadow shouted.

Starling was not doing much better. The two had gone through their books several times, but were unable to find any mention of kitchen listed.

"He said that this thing listed almost everything he owned! So where does he keep the food?!" Shadow shouted.

Starling stopped, flipped the book to the front, and looked under the hastily written table of contents. "Second hall from the left, it's across from where we slept last night." She replied slightly dazed.

"What! How did you find that?! Mine's incomplete!" Shadow was about to continue, but Starling held out her book and pointed at the one line that almost made her fall over.

Food-Galley

Located on hall B5 along with restrooms, crew quarters and Captain's cabin.

"What is a galley?" Shadow asked confused.

Starling nearly slapped her forehead. Its sailor speak for kitchen. Kai must have written these up last night and forgot to change the wording." She groaned.

"Oh." Shadow replied before taking out a pen from her pocket.

"What are you doing?" Starling asked.

"Making a revision. See!" Holding up her book, Starling saw where she had scratched out Food-Galley and wrote above it, Refrigerator-Kitchen.

"Come on." Starling rolled her eyes as the two made their way to the kitchen.

The situation was suddenly realized by Shadow, who froze in midstep.

"_I'm stuck on this ship, alone, with Starling for three days! And I'm supposed to be helping her pack! What if….what if she finds out?"_

"Shadow? Shadow? Is everything alright?" The older woman waved her hand in front of the younger's face several times trying to snap her out of it.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, just kinda blanked out. I guess I really am hungry."

_Growl_

For once, she was thankful that her stomach growled loudly enough to frighten Junko.

_Growl growl_

Turning around, the two saw Radarr and Griff clutching their stomachs in pain.

"I guess we haven't eaten since breakfast yesterday." Shadow said nervously.

**GROWL**

Her eyes bugged out.

"Starling?!" She asked.

The woman blushed slightly in embarrassment "What? I haven't eaten in three days?" She said in her defense.

Shadow snickered and the starving foursome made there way to the kitchen at a faster pace. First walking fast, then jogging, followed by sprints, and then finally, when their combined stomachs made a sound that they were sure would attract a Leviathan, full blown out running.

Shadow reached the door first and opened it, but just as she was about to clam victory, Griffy flew by. It was like slow motion, the griffin was being ridden by Radarr, who did an amazing impression of a horse Jockey.

Once inside, and finding the power switch, they set about to find something to eat.

"Ok, Starling? What can you do?" Shadow asked nervously, hoping, nay, praying that this highly trained, super skilled Sky Knight could also cook.

"I can make cold cereal and call for take out." She replied flatly. "You?"

Shadow sweat dropped. "Sandwiches, kids cuisine, lunchables, and delivery."

The two stood in silence, then both looked down at Radarr and Griffy.

"Squawk!" (Seed-n-feed) Griffy replied before looking at the sky monkey.

Radarr's shoulders drooped. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a miniature chef's hat and apron.

Piper's eyes were wide and her mouth open. She had never seen anything like this before. Sure, she had been to the Forbidden City, but it had nothing on this place.

A large crystal wall surrounded the immense fortress, rising at least a hundred feet. But, she noticed something was off. Despite the wall being intact, the city lay in ruins. It looked like a massive atmosquake had struck it long ago, but, were that the case, then the wall should have been destroyed as well. The only other thing not destroyed was a large…she didn't even know how to describe it.

In the very back of the city, there stood something that looked like an upside down U. It was quite a distance away, but she could see that the thick green fog that filled up terra deep was being pulled into the…thing, like a vacuum.

"What…what is this place? What happened here?" Piper asked looking around.

"You want the full story, of the edited one?" Kai asked coldly.

Piper noticed that he was acting…strange again. The same way he had the other day. Cold, almost as if he were angry with her. _"What's going on with him? Why is he acting this way? Whatever the case, he asked me a question, I'd better take the safe one, for now."_ Taking a deep breath, she answered. "The edited one."

Kai nodded. "The ancients found this place four thousand years ago, discovering its tactical potential; they build the Mayfil fortress to protect it, insuring that only they could use the gate. Nearly three thousand years ago, at the climax of the third great war, the fortress fell into the hands of their enemy's, and was turned against them." Kai answered.

"Third great war? But, there has only been one great war." Piper said, noticing that her throat was drying up.

"One? The great war you speak of, the one that is recoded in the history books was in fact the fourth great war. The first three were so long ago, that they have been forgotten." Kai shivered slightly.

"You ok?" Piper asked noticing that Kai's demeanor seemed to be worsening.

"Yeah, I just really, really, hate this place." Kai replied as he set the skimmer back into gear, and flew towards the single standing structure.

Piper looked around, taking in every that she could.

"_This is…strange. I know that I should be amazed, but, I'm not. What's wrong with me?"_ Piper felt…odd. _"This place….its….its like….I've been here before, like, déjà vu."_ Piper could feel her temples pulsating in pain. Several images flashed through her mind, but they were too fast for her to focus on. The only thing that stood out made her skin crawl.

"_Death"_

Piper's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. "Who said that?!" She shouted looking around quickly.

Kai felt her grip tighten, he nearly gasped when she squeezed him. _"Good grief this girls stronger than she looks!"_ Catching his breath he managed to choke out. "Piper!...Piper!...Your choking me!"

The girl's gripe was firm, and didn't loosen in the least.

"Kai, there's someone here! I know it! I heard them!" The girl was starting to hyperventilate, the images were speeding up, more and more flashing through her head, each worst than the last. _"The pain! Oh God! The pain! Make it stop! Make it stop! Make it stop!"_ Piper released Kai and grabbed her head, shaking furiously, and screamed. "GET OUT OF MY MIND!" Before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she fell off the side of the skimmer.

"Piper!" Kai shouted as he dived down to catch the girl._ "What the blazes is going on here?"_ He thought as he caught up to the girl and grabbed her around the waist before setting the skimmer back into hover mode. "Piper! Piper! Piper answer me!" He tried shaking her, but it was no use, she was out cold. _"I should return to base, but, we need Marina. Blast, what do I do?!"_ Looking down, he noticed that Piper's skin was glistening, and she seemed to be moaning something. At the same time, her breathing was becoming increasing erratic. "I've got to get you out of here now." Kai decided. _"Screw the mission; I'm not going to let someone get hurt, not like this!"_

Piper's eyes opened for a moment and she wrapped her arms around Kai's neck, drawing herself closer to his ear, and she whispered. "Thirty five degrees, eighteen degrees south, by, one hundred and forty nine degrees, eight degrees east." After which her head slumped into the crook of his neck.

"What is she…" It clicked. "Terra Gerudo. Those must be the coordinates for it, but why did." Kai nearly fell off his skimmer. Turning it around, he headed back for the gate. _"How in the unholy name of Oblivion did she know how the gate works?!"_ Kai screamed inside his mind. His thoughts were racing, his heart was pounding, he was plain scared. _"How did she know? No one other than me has even used it in thousands of years. If she knows about this…..what else does she know?"_ He didn't have time to think right now, all he knew was that he had to get Piper out of this place, they had to get to Gerudo, and now he had a way to do both. He could feel that Piper was no longer trembling, and her breathing had slowed down, but she was still out cold. He tried his best to keep flying, but it was hard to do with one hand, since he still had to keep the other around Piper to prevent her from falling off.

After what seemed to be hours, he arrived at the gate. Landing as carefully as he could, he came to a stop, and laid Piper against the side of his skimmer. She didn't look good, he noticed. Her eyes were clinched shut, and she was still in a cold sweat. From what he could tell, it was like she in the middle of a bad dream, or a memory she had repressed. _"What on Atmos is going on here?"_ Kai shook his head before running to the stone consol on the gates side. It had taken him only a little bit of time to figure out how to work it, but that was only thanks to help from Rose.

The panel had sixteen holes across the top, each an equal distance from the one in front and behind it. Underneath that was a grid of nine holes, lined three by thee, and beside that was what looked like a cross, with a hole at each point.

Reaching into the neckline of his flight suite, he produced a small three sided crystal, which looked somewhat like a letter T. Each of the three prongs was a different color, red and yellow going to the sides, with the single point that went forwards being blue. He inserted this into the various slots, putting in coordinates almost identical to the ones Piper had supplied him with, changing them by a single degree each. After all, he didn't want to open the gate in the middle of a street or a road, he was sure that that would cause problems. Once he was satisfied, he then went to the opposite side, to a second panel. This one only had a single nine digit grid on it. He used the Key Stone one last time before running back to the skimmer.

"Ok Piper, hang on." Kai said as he lifted the girl's prone form and held her in an inverted piggyback.

"Hmm I could have sworn that…" Sniffing the air, the only scent he was able to detect aside from himself was Piper's. Shrugging his shoulders, he took off into the air and turned towards the gate. As soon as he approached it, he heard a loud static buildup, and then saw the gate flash open.

It was a light teal green color, but at the same time it was white. The two colors seemed to blend and mix without actually combining. As soon as he flew through the opening, it shut behind him.

Two figures then made their ways out from behind a large chunk of ruble. Not much could be told other than their height, due to the black hooded cloaks they wore.

"Did you do it?" The larger one asked.

The second one held up a slender hand, showing a clear spherical crystal about the size of a ping pong ball. After looking at it for several moments, the second figure nodded its head. "Yes, I did. And I am fairly certain that it worked, if the way she reacted is any indication."

"We need to get ready. The second act will soon be starting." The first one replied.

"Wait." The second called out.

Turning, the first one looked back before responding. "Yes?"

The second figure looked away momentarily, before looking back at. "Do you…do you….think what we're doing is right?"

The first figures eye's blazed in anger. "Of course it is! You know full well what will happen if we mess up! Or have you forgotten?!" The taller figure shouted before getting onto its skimmer.

The second figure gripped its shoulder for a moment before walking to its own skimmer. After climbing onto it, the figure pulled back its hood, allowing a mane of dark hair to pour out.

"What we've seen, what we've been through for the last ten years, there is no way I am going back to that. We are here for a reason, and you will help me see it through to end." The first figure growled before taking off.

The second figure, slowly nodded in understanding. She knew why they were here, she knew their mission. The consequences for failure were far worse than death, but at the same time.

"_If we succeed…"_ She couldn't allow the thought to travel any further. The pain was too much. Choking back the emotions, she raised her hood, and took off into the sky, following her partner into the dark expanse.

"Ok, why is it that you never help out like this on the Condor?" Shadow asked as she chewed through her plate of French toast.

Radarr turned looked over his shoulder from atop the stool he was using to reach the stove and rolled his eyes.

Starling was already putting her dishes away and waiting on the younger girl.

"So…what do you think?" Shadow asked gulping down her drink.

"I think that we have a long road ahead of us." Starling said looking through her map book.

"I mean what do you think will happen?" Shadow asked putting her dishes in the sink for Radarr to take care of.

"I don't really know, but we need to be ready for just about anything. Come on." The older woman marched out of the galley back to the warehouse.

Shadow sighed and followed her. "Hey! Wait for me!" She shouted.

Several hours past, and Shadow was quickly becoming board. Sure, she knew that what they were doing was important, but that didn't make it any less tedious. She and Starling had gone through what they had access to, and decided to start with what was connected directly to them.

In other words, clothes.

They didn't know what the others would need, so they took what they needed first, but made sue to leave enough behind that the others would have something. Next came food of course, Shadow was disappointed that they would be eating rations the entire time, but Starling had set her straight.

"What? You think we can carry fresh food with us? We barely have room as things are now. Besides, their not all that bad." She had said.

"_Ptth, not that bad my butt. Those things are horrible!"_ Shadows face scrunched as she remembered the last time she had to eat the freeze dried horrors.

"Alright, I think that's enough for now." Starling said causing her to jump.

"But you said." Starling cut her off.

"I said that is enough for now, we have three more days until they will return. Besides, its not like any of this is going anywhere." She motioned towards the mass of boxes. "Also, we've already taken care of what we know. If Tigger and Rondana are coming, then I think we should leave mechanical and medical to them."

Shadow agreed. _"Leave the heavy and messy stuff to someone else."_ She thought with a slight snicker.

"While we have time." Starling began.

"_Uh oh. This is bad."_ Shadow was positive that the next words to come out of her mouth were going to be. "You do know who your father is correct?" But she was surprised at what she heard instead.

"I think we should do a little run." Starling said in a serious tone.

"What?" Shadow asked confused.

"I said that I think we should go for a little run. Kai and Piper will return in three days, after which they will probably be tired. We need to move this mission along as quickly as possible. Terra's Aladates and Pathologica are both a little over a day from here. We should be able to return with Tigger and Rondana before Kai and Piper. That would cut down on future travel by several days." She said leaning against the wall.

"Well that's great and all, but they're in opposite directions, so you're talking about four days travel in total." Shadow pointed out.

"Not exactly." Starling said with a grin. "Follow me."

Slightly dumbstruck, Shadow followed the older woman out.

"_Cold, so very, very cold."_ Piper shivered, but soon felt something move across her shoulders. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was facing a camp fire, and that the ground was sand, not stone or crystal.

"Finally awake?"

Piper turned to see Kai sitting next to her and nearly yelped.

"Good morning to you to." He said dryly.

Piper felt her head pulsate again in pain and reached up to it.

"You ok? You were acting kind of strange back there." Kai said getting up and moving in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little off that's all." Piper replied yawning. "How long was I out?" She asked.

Kai looked up at the night sky for a moment. "I would say about three hours." He replied.

"Where are we anyway?" She asked getting up a little too fast, and nearly falling as a result.

"Hey take it easy. As far as I can tell, this is terra Gerudo, or at the very least, it's a terra I've never been to before." Kai said handing her a water canteen.

"How did we get here? Last thing I remember is….falling off your skimmer." Piper said looking up into Kai's face. She noticed that he was avoiding eye contact, as always.

"After you fell, I caught you and was about to return to the base, but you gave me to coordinates to get here, that's how we got here." He said looking at her slightly strangely before asking. "You don't remember it do you?"

Piper shook her head. "I can't remember anything from before the fall, and even that's fuzzy." She shivered and pulled the blanket that had been put on her while she slept closer. Looking up she shot Kai a strange look. "How is it that you're not cold?"

Kai chuckled. "Tell you the truth; I don't get cold, at least not naturally. Hot on the other hand, that's a different story."

Deciding to change the subject, she asked."Don't you think we should try to find someone? I mean, if this is terra Gerudo, then we need to find Marina as quickly as possible." Piper said moving closer to the fire.

"There's an old stone fortress about a mile out that way. I was waiting for you to wake up before going to check it out myself." Kai said as he stretched and groaned. "Man, I forgot how much I hate camping." He muttered.

"If you saw a stone fortress, then that has to be her base." Piper said scooting closer to the fire.

"How do you know that?" He asked, curiosity piqued.

"Well, for one, it's the only city on terra Gerudo that I'm aware of, and two, it's the only one with walls." Piper said as she shivered a bit more.

"Well, we have about two more hours before sun rise, and then we'll check it out. I don't want you out of my sight until I know for sure that you're ok." Kai said almost exactly the same way Aerrow would have.

This gave Piper a thought._ "Time to have a little fun."_ The little angel and devil on her shoulders both wrung their hands like evil masterminds. "Oh? But what would Starling think of that? She wouldn't be _jealous_ now would she?" Piper teased.

Kai snorted. "No, she wouldn't. Don't get me wrong, you're an ally, but I don't want to have Aerrow coming after me with his little knives because you got sick or hurt on my watch."

"_Poopie, he's no fun."_ Internally, Piper was pouting at being denied her little bit of fun, but she decided to quite while she was ahead. _"He is the one with the ride, and the only one that knows how to get back after all."_ She reminded herself.

"We move out at sunrise. I suggest that you rest up while you can." Kai told her as he threw a few more sticks on the fire to keep it going.

"Let me get this straight, you want me, ME, to fly by myself to terra Aladates, and somehow convince Tigger's mom, and squadron, to let her go off on this mission?" Shadow asked as though it were a bad joke.

"Exactly. If they won't allow it, try this." She handed a messenger crystal to the girl before continuing. "If they won't allow her to leave willingly, show them that crystal, but make sure to leave Kai's name out of things until you leave. Remember, we are trying to keep a low profile, so whatever you do, make sure that Aladd doesn't find out about it." She added.

Shadow twitched nervously. "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that, I've never really flown solo before, at least not for more than a few hours."

Starling smiled. "You'll do fine; just don't scratch her paint ok?" She replied handing the younger girl a single key.

Shadow swallowed a large lump in her throat when she saw the serious expression on Starlings face. "Cant I just fly Kai's?" She squeaked.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. No telling what he's done to the thing, and I think he wouldn't mind my riding it as much as he would you." Starling said as she climbed onto the jet black Talon Switchblade and revved it up.

"So, see you soon?" Shadow asked giving a small smile.

Grinning, Starling replied. "See you soon." Before taking off down the empty hanger.

Shadow brought the Red Streak to life and revved it a few times, just to make sure that it was working properly. That's when she noticed something very, very odd. _"Wait a minute, why doesn't this thing have a speedometer?"_

She found out rather quickly, as her laughs were heard echoing throughout terra Deep.

End Chapter 10

AN: Looks like things are getting more and more interesting eh? Who are these two mysterious individuals? What are their plans? You'll have to keep reading to find out! Please review and tell me what you thought! Till next time, Ja Ne!"


	11. Starlings Fight!

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 11 Starlings Fight!

AN: So you were expecting Marina this chapter eh? Well, as Lord Dark Helmet once said.

Fooled You!

This chapter will focus on (you guessed it) Starling! What's going on with her? We have an idea of why she's here, but beyond that, nothing. As for future updates, as I have said before, things are just very, very busy right now. So they will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra! (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

Starling clung for dear life to the jet black skimmer._ "What's the purpose of making something that travels this fast? He doesn't do blockade running or any smuggling, so what…"_ Then it clicked.

"_I keep forgetting about males obsession with high speeds."_ Starling remembered rolling her eyes. Yes, it was true that her skimmer was just about the fastest one around, but that was because she was often faced with overwhelming numbers, and simply had to make a quick getaway in her line of work.

Starling was trying her best to distract herself, but was failing miserably. There was just too much going on, too many things were happening at once. Kai's odd behavior towards herself and the others and his apparently increasing level of mental instability distressed her greatly, but that was not the only thing bothering her, no, far from it. The last three days had been harder on her emotionally and mentally then the last three years, not counting the Nightmare of Mesa.

_Flashback three days ago_

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" Starling shouted.

"Ahh, so nice to finally meet you Starling. I've heard so much about you."

Starling spun around to attack the person who had somehow snuck up behind her, but was surprised to see nothing.

"Who are you?" She asked backing away towards the hanger bay she had just entered from.

"Who am I? Don't you know that it's considered impolite not to introduce yourself first?" The voice asked. This time from beside her.

Bringing her fist around to hit the intruder, she was surprised when her fist met cold hard steel wall.

"Ouch, I bet that one hurt. You really should learn better ways of venting all that anger of yours. I would suggest model building of yoga." The voice called out again.

Starling's eyes narrowed.

"Suzi, Kai, if this is one of your ideas of a joke; you've taken it too far." She called out. She didn't want to admit it, but she was slightly afraid of what was going on.

"Ah yes. The ice head and the ice heart, nope, haven't seen Suzi in years, though I did pay your little apprentice a visit a few days ago. The kid really needs to get out more. Hello! Ever heard of a social life!" The voice mocked.

"What did you do to Kai?!" She hissed through clinched teeth.

"You see, that's the problem with you kids these days. Always assuming that the fault is with someone else and not yourself." It replied.

"REPTION! I'LL KILL YOU!" Starling's mind was usually was pretty balanced, but the combination of stress from the mission she had just completed, along with the vague clues and hints the voice was dropping had led her to assume the worse case scenario.

Reption had discovered Kai for whom and what he really was, and decided to use it to get back at her.

"Reption? Honey, you really need a pair of glasses if you think I'm that half witted brute." It called out from another room.

Fueled by rage, and still believing that this was some form of revenge against her, she flew down the hall following the voice.

"You're getting warmer!" It called out.

Starling saw that the voice was coming from one of two rooms. The kitchen or her room. Hoping that she was wrong, she went for the kitchen.

"You're getting colder!" It called out.

With a feral growl she stormed back to the second hallway and kicked in the door to her room.

"no." Her voice was weak.

She didn't recognize who the person was, but as soon as she saw what they were holding in one hand she froze.

"Oh? What happened to all that anger from before?" The green haired man asked tossing the item up and catching it.

"Put that down this instant." Starling's voice was colder than ice; you could actually almost see her breath as she spoke.

"But why? It's such a lovely little trinket, and I don't think it's even seen the light of day for what? Four years?" He replied tossing it up and catching it again.

Starling roared as she rushed the man, fully intent on removing him from this plain of existence.

Jab, hook, uppercut, palm thrust. Her pattern continued to grow in length as well as speed, but it was of no use. The man simply turned to the side, ducked, hopped and bent out of the way for nearly ten minutes.

"Are you going to start yet? I've grown board with stretches." The man said yawning.

This only fueled Starlings rage, but she was soon brought to a stop by a single hard knee to the chest, and dropped to her knees.

"There, I think your done for now." He said taking a seat on her bed. "Now that I have your attention." He said tossing the item back up and catching it. "Are you going to listen to me?" He asked.

The look in Starling's eyes was one that he was very familiar with, one that he hated above all others.

Complete and total loss

He knew that he had to clear a few things up; he didn't want the woman to become hollow. "Your former apprentice is alive and about as well as he has been for the last five months, though that's not really saying too much. Last I saw he was heading to the Condor to have a little chat with Piper." He watched as the words sunk in, and saw the tiny flicker return to her eyes.

"Who are you?" She said before coughing.

"Who I am is unimportant. Just think of me as a messenger and a delivery boy." He said getting up and tossing the item into the air once more. "If you want this back, you'll have to take it." He said walking out of the room after catching it.

Starling crawled to her knees, still trying to catch her breath, and struggled her way down the hallway like a blind cat, intent on reclaiming what was rightfully hers.

The man was waiting in the hanger, and grinned when he saw her enter. "Well, looks like you'll go through quite a bit for something that's so little, means next to nothing, and is worth virtually nothing to anyone." He said tossing it into the air and catching it yet again.

Starling stood shakily, leaning on the door frame for support glaring holes into the man. "Give it back now." She growled.

"Why? It's not really all that important, it doesn't even do anything. You can't even sell it! Why do you care about something that no one else places any value on?" He asked pointedly.

"It's valuable to me." She hissed lunging at the man who ducked out of the way.

"Why? Tell me, what gives something value?" He asked as he ducked her renewed assault.

Starling ignored the comment and simply focused on the items retrieval.

Seeing that she was not going to listen, he decided to make her listen.

He once again struck her in the same place as before, but this time with his fist, though it had the same effect as before, knocking the wind out of her.

Slumping to her knees in pain, Starling felt her emotions start to break through her iron mask, but managed to force them back down.

"Answer the question." He said.

Starling glared up at the man and barred her teeth in anger. "Value, value is given to something,….when it is important to someone." She said between breaths.

"Ah, yes that is the cause, but not the reason. You still haven't answered the question." The man said tossing the item into the air once more.

"_What…what gives something value?"_ She thought to herself.

"Well, I guess this doesn't really mean that much to you after all. I'll just put it up on my mantle next to my collection of autographed Skyball cards." The man said catching the item before transforming into a bird and flying away.

Starling's eyes widened._ "No. I…I…I wont lose that last piece!"_ Starling pulled herself up, not minding the pain, not even registering it. Her only thoughts were retrieval and revenge. Jumping on the Red Streak, she took off after the bird.

_Flashback yesterday_

She was running out. Plan and simple. Two days of nonstop flight. The bird never seemed to grow tired, he just kept going on and on. She had tried catching up to him, but he had simply sped up, she had even tried shooting the infuriating creature out of the sky but he managed to dodge everything she threw at him.

So intent had she become, that she didn't even notice the green soupy cloud that she had entered, the black crystal columns were acknowledged, but at the same time ignored.

Just when she thought she was going to crash, she saw the bird head inside an old shipwreck.

"_So this is where you roost huh?"_ She thought tiredly.

After landing, she made her way deeper and deeper into the derelict, and was not too surprised to see the man once again waiting for her.

"Well, even if you don't know what it is that gives something value, you sure seem to appreciate it." He quipped.

Making one last desperate lunge, Starling dived for the mans neck.

"Tisk tisk tisk. You and your student both have so much to learn." The man said as he gripped Starling from behind pinning her wrist.

"Why?" She asked almost collapsing from exhaustion.

"I told you, I am a messenger, and a delivery boy. I just thought it would be easier to deliver the message after the package." He replied.

"What…package?" She asked trying to get free.

"Why you my dear. First class Atmosian Air express rush delivery." He said as though it was the simplest thing in the world.

Starling tried to concentrate, but it proved too difficult given how tired she was. In the back of her mind, she was afraid, but at the same time, she was just too tired.

"Listen up and listen up good. I hope that you learned something today, because that coward of an ex apprentice of yours refuses to. No matter how many times I try and teach him he can't get certain thoughts and ideas out of his head. You have the same problem and need to learn the same lesson, but hopefully you actually will." He said harshly.

Starling managed to gather one last ounce of strength from that remark and freed herself. Turning, she faced the man with a scathing glare. "Kai is many things, but he is not a coward." She spat.

"Yes he is, and so are you." He replied with narrowed eyes.

"You have no idea who you are talking about." She said drawing strength from her anger. _"How dare he, calling both myself and Kai cowards. He has no idea who he's speaking of."_

"Oh, I know exactly who I'm speaking of, but apparently you don't understand what I'm talking about. Cowardice comes in many, many forms, but enough about that. I have a message for you to deliver, and I know that you will." He said smugly.

Starling glared holes through the man. "Just what makes you think I'll do anything you ask?" She asked nearly shaking in anger.

"Because, if you don't, I'll drop this." He replied holding out his open hand, then indicating a hole in the floor with his boot.

Starling lost it. It was gone. The last few wisps of strength she had managed to hold onto had left her. The only strength she had left was being used to keep her mask in place. "What is the message?" She asked in an almost hollow tone of voice.

The man smiled. "It's actually two messages that you will deliver, as well as some instructions for yourself." Seeing her nod, he continued. "In exactly one hour a group of three will arrive at this location. You will be asked several questions, all of which you are to answer truthfully. After this you will be asked to relay a message. When this happens, your response will be: You will need one more, if you try as you are, you will fail, and in the end, die trying."

Starling committed the message to memory, but never let her eyes leave the item in the mans hand.

"Once you have relayed this, the same one who asked you for the message will ask: What else? To this you will reply: Lighten up, this is your final chance, so don't screw it up." He saw her nod, but wanted to make sure.

"Starling, listen to me. If you do not relay the first message exactly the way that I told you, many, many, people will die. That is not a threat, nor is it a promise, it is a warning. I would stop this if I could, but I am bound. Just by bringing you here, I have already broken the rules, and this message makes that doubled." He then placed a hand on her shoulder. "The lives of many people are at stake; along with much more that I am forbidden to speak of. The second message is almost as important, it is the key, do not forget that." He took several steps back before reaching into his cloak and produced a gold chain.

Starling watched as he placed the chain into the same hand as the item he had stolen, which then glowed white. Upon opening his hand, the chain dangled out, and the item hung from the bottom.

"This is the last thing I can do for you. Whatever happens, do not, I repeat, do not, for any reason remove this once you put it one, and make sure that it stays in contact with your skin at all times." He said holding it out for her to take.

Starling looked at the man and saw that he was being honest. He really did want to help, and that this was both his way of helping, and apologizing. She carefully took it from his outstretched hand into hers. "Thank you." She said holding it with both hands.

"No, thank you." He replied sincerely before walking to an open window. "Oh, and don't forget the question from earlier. It'll help out quite a bit." He said once again transforming into a bird and flying out the window.

Starling looked down at the necklace that she was still clutching with both hands. Quickly, she put the necklace over her head, and pulled the neck of her flight suite open, and, after taking one last look at it, she pushed it under her neckline before readjusting her uniform.

"I guess now I just have to wait and see who the contact is." She said to herself.

_Flashback end_

Looking up, Starling realized that she had reached the end of terra Deep and knew that she had to pay close attention to where she was now going. _"According to the carts on the Condor, terra Pathologica should be due west of terra Deep."_ Starling looked over the borrowed skimmers panel and was thankful that it had a compass installed. She made the proper heading change, and after making sure that the skimmer was not low on fuel, decided to see just how fast it could go.

"_This is the first time I've ever actually ridden one of his little projects."_ She realized. Back when he was her understudy, he had always been a bit of tinkerer, but mostly stuck to small things like clocks or radios; he had worked on skimmers, but had never actually built one before. That's when another thought crossed her mind.

"_Kai's a great mechanic, so why…this doesn't make any sense, I taught Kai to always take the bare essentials, so why is he bringing Tigger and Rondana? From what Piper told me he needs her because he can't read the tome, so it makes sense to bring her, Shadow was out of his control so no fault of his, and from what we can figure, Arygyn thought that myself and Marina would be necessary. That alone is five people and two additions. So why would he add two more people? It just doesn't make any sense. Sure, Tigger and Rondana both excel in their respective areas or expertise, but why would he add a medic and a mechanic when those skills already exist between the five of us?"_ That's when the color drained from her face.

_Flashback flash _(Several separate memories flashing one after another)

"_You will need one more, if you try as you are, you will fail, and in the end, die trying."_

Starlings eyes clinched shut.

"_Starling, listen to me. If you do not relay the first message exactly the way that I told you, many, many, people will die. That is not a threat, nor is it a promise, it is a warning. I would stop this if I could, but I am bound. Just by bringing you here, I have already broken the rules, and this message makes that doubled." _

"No."

"_The lives of many people are at stake; along with much more that I am forbidden to speak of. The second message is almost as important, it is the key, do not forget that."_

"No, he wouldn't."

"_This is the last thing I can do for you. Whatever happens, do not, I repeat, do not, for any reason remove this once you put it one, and make sure that it stays in contact with your skin at all times." He said holding it out for her to take._

Starling could feel her cheeks becoming wet, her throat was suddenly dry and she felt like she was going to be sick.

"_Kai….he….he…..he doesn't……he wouldn't."_ Starlings eyes flashed open in both grief and rage.

"No." Her voice might have been broken, but the strength behind it was unmistakable.

"I will not allow that to happen." She said gripping the controls with a new found resolve.

"Never again will I allow that to happen."

"Never."

End chapter 11

AN: Bonus points to the first person who figures out what Starling realized at the end. I really hope that this story is at least enjoyable to those of you still reading it. I know that my writing still isn't exactly at the level of say Ambrel's, but I hope that its improving. Please review! Till next time, Ja Ne!


	12. Shadow’s Awakening!

Winds of Change.

Chapter 12 Shadow's Awakening!

AN: Alright! Time for Shadow to step into the limelight. I know that my version of Shadow is slightly different than the normal one. I just made a tiny tweak to her so that she could have a larger role in the overall story. Namely that tweak is making her a 'sensitive'. No she is not psychic in any way shape or form; she's just a bit more aware of her surroundings. Anyways, I hope you will enjoy this short, but deep chapter. It took me three days to get it the way I like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Shadow grinned as she pushed the Red Streak faster and faster. Having witnessed the skimmer in action during the last two Great Races, she knew it was fast, but just how fast she had no idea.

"_This things almost as fast as the Condor!"_ Shadow thought grinning. She knew the way to terra Aladates almost by heart, so she didn't bother checking the compass or other flight instruments. _"At this rate, I'll be there before dinner is served."_ Shadow thought with a grin.

"_Wait a minute….this is like….my first solo mission ever! And there's no one even here to see it!...Oh…yeah."_ Shadow sweat dropped at that thought._ "Still, I can't believe that Starling actually trusted me with this. I mean, she is a Sky Knight, and she wouldn't have asked me to do this unless she thought I could do it….would she?"_ Doubt had started to set in at this point.

"_Terra Deep is one of the most dangerous terra's around. Aside from the terra itself, there is also the problem with the Murk Raiders. Did she send me out here to…does she know who I am? Is that why she…"_ Shadow slapped herself.

"What the heck am I thinking!?" Shadow shouted. _"She might be a Sky Knight, but she's also the one that trained Kai, and if there is anyone who hates the Sky Council as much as me, it'd be them."_ Shadow lowered her head, partially out of shame, partially out of disgust.

"_How could I even think that about her? She hasn't treated me any different than she has anyone else. The others all seem to trust her with their life, and Kai…."_ Shadow felt that same sick feeling rise up in her stomach as earlier. _"Ok, when this is over, I'm getting me some answers. But right now, I just want some Pepto Bismall."_ Shadow thought clutching her stomach. If she had to guess, the feeling was getting worse.

"_This is all just one big mess." _Shadow thought with a snort._ "Aerrow's acting jumpy all of a sudden, Kai comes out of lord knows where with some crummy old book and I get stuck with babysitting duty."_ Shadow let out a sigh._ "I just don't get it. Why doesn't Aerrow trust Kai? I mean, I understand him wanting to protect Piper and all, but…he wasn't acting like he was worried something would happen. He honestly didn't trust Kai."_ This confused her greatly. _"I know that they don't exactly see eye to eye, but Aerrow's always treated everyone with the same amount of respect, even if they don't deserve it."_ At this point, thoughts of a certain blond ponytailed pea brained Sky Knight came to mind._ "But for him to act so….well….mean. I just don't get it. And what was up with him saying that Kai was a Murk Raider? Yeah he lives here, but you can't just label someone because of where they live, Aerrow's above that."_

She tried to look at it logically, reviewed everything she knew and tried to see if there was something she had missed._ "Ok, why would Aerrow not trust someone? He trusted Starling when they first met, and she was dressed as a Cyclonian. He trusted Lark when she was disguised, but she had done nothing openly hostel, in fact, she saved Piper's life. He trusted Arygyn after finding out who he was, he trusts any of the Sky Knights and their squadrons, and he trusts me. So what's the missing link?" _

"Hmm?" Shadow looked up and narrowed her eyes. _"What was that? I could have sworn that I head a skimmer. But…"_ Shadow looked around again. She didn't see anything, but it was almost like, she could feel something. Something was wrong._ "What is this pressure?"_ Shadow reached up to her head with one hand. The feeling was strange, but not completely unfamiliar. She remembered every now and then that she felt like there was pressure building up inside her head. Not exactly like a headache, since it didn't hurt. _"Most of the time it doesn't hurt."_ She amended. There had been a few occasions that the pressure had built up to the point that it hurt, but she only remembered that happening one or two times in the past.

The memory of Master Cyclonis's throne room flashed across her mind, seeing all of the Sky Knights lined up, all ready and willing to follow her commands.

Of course they were all under mind control, she remembered, but that occasion had been one of the most drastic. The pressure was different than before. It didn't just feel like a balloon was filling up inside her skull, no, there was heat as well. She remembered feeling as though fire was flowing through her veins, like her blood was molten lava. It had frightened her a great deal, and to this day she didn't understand what had caused it.

"_But this is different. I feel…I almost feel dirty. Like there's something…on me…no…it's like…..it's almost like something is around me."_ She thought back and tried to remember is she had ever experienced something like this before, or anything similar. _"It's like I'm standing in smoke."_ She decided that was an accurate description._ "It's like something is clinging to me, like a bad smell or something, like I flew through a cloud of methane."_

Once again she looked around. Something was off, something was….not right. The feeling was different than the one from the terra itself. The terra had felt like a hole, a wound, maybe even a tare. Not exactly like something was 'bad', more like something was missing. But this, she decided that this feeling, though not as sever, was bad. Something was very wrong._ "I've got to get out of here now."_ She decided. Without a second thought she floored the Red Streak, rushing to get out of the terra.

"_What was that?"_ Something had caught her eye. It was tiny, like a glimmer or a sparkle. But when she turned her head to get a better look it was gone. _"I could have sworn that I saw something reflecting back there. It almost looked like a skimmer." _

Shadow shook her head and continued onward.

She was pleased to note that the further she got from terra Deep, the less sick she felt. Smiling, she began to wonder just what would happen on this little mission of theirs. _"Kai, Piper and Starling sure have been acting strange."_ She thought. _"Well…Piper's always a bit off when anything that might include crystals is involved, and I don't really know Starling that well. Kai…he's always been strange."_ Shadow chuckled when a few choice memories popped up. _"Maybe when this is all over, we can prank the others again, ooohh or maybe we could even prank some of the other squadrons?"_ The thought was not entirely without merit, but, back to the original thought. _"I still don't get what the big deal is about some old ship that might not even be around anymore. And what's up with Arygyn sending Starling? He even said that we needed one more or we would fail."_

That thought was particularly unnerving. _"Kai, Piper, Tigger and Rondana. Their not exactly ultras, but their not feather weights either. I've seen Rondana when she's in a pinch, and I know that Tigger and Piper can both handle themselves. Kai…I'm not even going to go there, anyone that lives alone in terra Deep….but to send in Starling and Marina? One Sky Knight level fighter, a mission specialist and two back ups are nothing to sneeze at, so to add in two actual Sky Knights into the mix? What does Arygyn know that we don't?"_ That's when another memory popped up.

_Flashback Yesterday_

"_How can you say that about someone that you haven't even met?" Shadow asked. She had known Kai for a while now, and was considered by many to be one of his closest friends, but even she was surprised at his sudden bitterness._

"_I have met him, quite a few times actually." Kai's tone was now a mixture of bitter and something else that the others couldn't identify._

_Flashback end_

Shadow scrunched up her face in thought. _"If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn that Kai almost sounded like he was…afraid."_ That thought made her skin crawl. She knew that Kai was indeed human. Different, not normal, but definitely human. The strange thing about him though was that he always seemed to keep himself separated from everyone else. Sure he was generally nice and was rarely ever rude, but he was always a bit on the guarded side. It was almost like the face that he showed to the world was a carefully constructed mask, only allowing people to see what he wanted to be seen.

Fear, was not something he wanted seen.

Ever.

He was one of the most balanced and in control people she had ever met, only losing his cool rarely and even then it was only caused by very narrow and extremely specific conditions. But she had never known him to show fear. Same with Aerrow and every other Sky Knight she had ever met. They knew how to keep their emotions is check, under control and did not allow them to influence their thinking process unless the situation was dire.

But she couldn't dismiss it. _"It was so tiny, just a flicker really. But, I know what I heard. The way his voice seemed to tighten for just a moment. Something spooked Kai, but the question is what."_ Knowing that she still had a few hours to go, Shadow decided to list out the facts and hoped to gain some measure of understanding. Something was going on and she wanted to know what.

"_Ok, think Shadow. What do we know? We know that Kai found a book that might lead to the location of an ancient vessel. We know that originally Kai built a four person squad to find and recover said ship. He then gets saddled with me, Starling shows up and we agree to get Marina. It can't have anything to do with Marina because that came up after Starling, so it must have something to do with her."_ Shadow pushed a stray lock of hair out of the way and checked her gauges to make sure that she had not altered her course. Once she was satisfied, she returned to her inner monologue.

"_Ok, it must have something to do with Starling's message from Arygyn. Kai seemed pretty upset that she was there, and I remember him asking her what was so important that she of all people would be used as a messenger. Ok, well its pretty clear that Kai doesn't care much for Arygyn, and more than likely he wouldn't have listened to anything he tried to tell him. So, to make sure that Kai listened to the message he got Starling to deliver it. Now, the question is, why did this fact spook Kai? Kai said that he had met Arygyn quite a few times before, but Starling had never met him, so their must be some form of importance in that. Starling was not just a messenger; she was a symbol, or a sign of some sort. She must represent something to Kai, and Arygyn used this to reinforce the point."_ Shadow smiled at her discovery for a moment, but it quickly vanished.

"_The question now though, is what does Starling represent? She is his friend, and his former mentor, but I can't see what that would signify. A friend delivering a message would mean that it's important, but Kai was already treating this like a mission, so that cant be it. Former mentor perhaps? That would mean that there is something he is supposed to learn, but how would learning a lesson induce fear? No, it must be something else, something I'm not seeing. Could there be something more between…no, even if there was that would be no different that having a close friend deliver a message. Think Shadow think! Starling is his friend, his former mentor, she's a Sky Knight, part time Storm Hawk, last of the Interceptors"_ Shadow's eyes widened.

_Flashback yesterday_

"_He said that you will need one more, that if you tried as you were, that you would fail, and in the end, die trying." _

"_What else?" Kai asked calmly._

_It was a few moments before she spoke again. "He also said." She sighed before continuing. "He also said to lighten up, and that this would be your final chance, so don't screw it up."_

_Flashback end_

Shadow felt a wave of dread pass over her.

"Last."

Shadow felt a shiver run down her spine as the word escaped her lips.

"_Starling is the last of the Interceptors, and Arygyn said this wasKai'ss final chance. Last, final, end. End, that is the key. But what lock or door does the end open?"_ Several thoughts popper up, none of which were good._ "That's why Kai was afraid. To him, Starling represents finality, an ending. Something is coming to an end, something that there is only one of left. But the question is what."_

She didn't know why, but Shadow felt her heart turn to lead, and a sudden wave of grief passed through her.

End Chapter 12

AN: Ok, so how many of you out there want to kick my teeth in now? Good, that means you'll keep reading. I know that this chapter was a bit on the short side, but it's one of the most powerful that I've written for any story. I hope that all my readers have enjoyed the story so far, (all five of you). Till next time, Ja Ne!


	13. Meet the Sage’s!

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 13 Meet the Sage's!

AN: Sorry I'm late, but some idiot ran into a telephone line with a bulldozer across from my house, so I haven't had a working phone line in almost three days! Currently it is (checks clock) 5:30 AM, and I haven't much time, but please accept this massive update as my apology for being absent for the past week. Time for Kai to get a taste of the Hylian league. Yes, I know that it is Star Wars nut's corner of Storm Hawks fandom, but I've been given permission to meddle with it a bit, so HA! Can't sic the Admins on me! As for future updates, as I have said before, things are just very, very busy right now. So they will be a bit slow and sporadic. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra! (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites). Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

Piper felt someone shake her shoulder, but was in no mood to for waking up. "Go away, five more minutes." She mumbled.

Kai rolled his eyes and proceeded to pour some of the water from his canteen onto her hair.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH! COLD!" Piper jumped up screaming when the water trickled down her back. But upon seeing Kai she glared. "What's the big idea?"

"Glad to see your up, time for us to head out." Kai replied ignoring her glare.

Piper used the blanket to dry out her hair before tossing it at Kai, who caught it without looking.

"Come on, we don't have all day. We're working on a very tight schedule now." Kai said as he brought the skimmer to life.

Piper was still slightly mad, but decided to get back at him for it later.

The two were once again air born when Kai saw something in the distance. "Piper, do you have any idea what those are?"

It appeared to be a swarm of flying blobs. They were still far away, so it was hard to tell what they were, but Piper recognized their movements instantly.

"Peahats!" She shouted.

Kai took this as a bad sign. "Tactical?" He asked sharply.

Piper's mind, like Kai's had a switch that flipped when in danger.

_Auto Pilot: Battle Mode Engaged_

Thinking back, she tried to remember everything she could about the creatures. "Range capability is zero, but they have rotating blades on their underside that can cut through steel. Aside from that they are extremely fast and agile, so it's hard to hit them."

"Anything else? Countermeasure capabilities?" He asked bringing his tri-staff out to its full length.

Piper's eyes widened at that, she had almost complete forgotten that detail. "Yeah, they explode on contact unless you knock off their blades." She replied.

"Great, that's just great. So we have to get through a minefield of meat grinders." Kai muttered as he leaned forward and pushed the throttle.

When they got in close to the fortress, they were able to see several skimmers taking off. At first they were heading towards Kai and Piper, but they soon turned and went towards the peahats.

_Static_

"Unidentified aircraft, you have entered restricted airspace. State your business now or you will be shot down." A female voice called out.

"Yeah right. I'd love to see them try." Kai muttered. Picking up the radio, he returned their call. "Negative, do not open fire. I'm carrying a friendly and we're running low on fuel. Besides, I think you've got bigger problems than little ol me right now." Kai said teasingly.

Piper elbowed him for the remark and was about to say something when Kai continued.

"If you could use a hand, I've got about." He stopped to check his meter. "Fifteen minutes of fuel left before I drop like a stone over." Kai released the lever and waited for a response.

"This is restricted airspace. You will leave now, or you will be shot down." As if to back up her statement, a round of flack went off several meters below them.

"Oh, she did not just." Before Kai could fire off his scathing remark over the open air, Piper reached over him.

"Give me that!" Piper grabbed the radio. "Control tower, this is Piper of the Storm Hawks, please, this is an emergency situation. We're here to request an audience with Marina Dragmire at her earliest convenience. In the meantime, we will be happy to help with the peahats." She said releasing the thumb hold.

"Piper? What are you doing out here?"

Piper smiled. "Marina! It's good to hear from you again."

"Indeed it is, I apologize for the FCO's behavior, right now is just not a good time. But we could use a hand if you're willing." The ruler's voice was hard to hear over what sounded like squawking and explosions.

Kai grabbed the radio from Piper. "Will do, just tell your boys on the ground to stop shooting at me." Kai said somewhat sourly.

They heard laughter over the radio, and even Piper was chuckling, which combined with Kai's already sour mood only served to further agitate him.

"I'm guessing that your friend here doesn't know much about us does he? No matter, they won't fire on you so long as you don't fire at them." The woman replied.

"Well, at least I can have some fun now." Kai said as he brought his tri-staff around to his left side while Piper brought hers around to the right and entered the fray.

The longer the fight went on, the more skimmers started to fall.

"_There is more to these peahats than meets the eye."_ Kai studied them as the battle progressed and made a few minor notes of their behavior._ "They swarm targets that are either already badly damaged, or are concentrating on helping someone else. So their ambushers eh? I've got a treat for them."_ Kai slammed the afterburners to full, propelling the skimmer through the area like a missile.

"What are you doing?!" Piper shouted after nearly falling off.

"I'm trying to make the peahats as mad as I can. They seem to dislike being hit." Kai replied as he plowed through the swarm.

_Static_

"What in Din's name are you doing out there?!" Marina called out over the radio.

Kai picked up the receiver. "All units clear the area and form a perimeter." Pausing for a moment he took a quick count of the number of remaining skimmers. "Form up seven hundred meters from my signal; do not fire unless I tell you."

_Static_

"Just who do you think you are? Arbitrarily showing up and giving orders? I demand to speak with your commanding officer!" A rather irritated voice replied.

Kai heard Piper make a gagging sound and turned to look.

"That would be Zelda, Sage of terra Hyrule. She's like Harrier, only she's royalty and actually pretty strong." Piper answered his unasked question.

Kai shuddered at the thought of a female Harrier, but picked up the receiver and replied.

"I have no CO Madam, nor am I giving orders to you. I am mealy giving you a warning, if you do not wish for your skimmer to be knocked full of holes or pelted with peahat parts, I would suggest you move." He replied.

It was surprising how quickly the skimmers parted.

"Ok, Piper, I need you to help me with this." Kai said as he brought the skimmer around. Looking back, he made sure that all, or at least, most of the peahats were following him.

"What's up?" The girl asked, no longer firing crystal blasts, but now hanging on so as not to fall to the ground.

"I'm about to do a vertical. As soon as I level out, I want you to switch around and face backwards." He said checking his gauges.

"What?" Piper asked thinking she had heard him wrong.

"When I level out, I want you to stand up, turn around, and face the other way. You're going to have a clear shot at the swarm and I want you to use it." Kai replied.

"What do you expect me to do with just my staff? I can't take out more than a few at a time." Piper said furrowing her brow.

"Err, here." Kai held up his tri-staff. "Duel up, that will help out, just don't drop it, and you will have fire support, just trust me ok?"

Piper was going to ask him what he was talking about, but remembered that with everything he had done in the past, he must have some sort of plan in mind. So she took his staff and held it in the same hand as her own.

Kai took one last look behind him, making sure that the peahat's were following him. "Piper, you ready?" He asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She replied.

Kai pulled back on the controls and went into a steep vertical climb, even kicking in the overboosters to increase altitude. Just as the skimmer started to stall out, he activated the two wing mounted cannons, which rose like two angry cobras facing forward, before flipping a second switch that swung them around so that they were now facing backwards.

"Piper! Now!" He shouted.

Not wasting time, Piper swung one leg around and reversed her direction so that she and Kai were now back to back. She then gripped his tri-staff with her free hand and leaned back, just as the skimmers nose plunged.

Kai grinned when he saw the swarm of peahats rushing towards them; he knew that this would work.

Piper gritted her teeth, the plan now making sense._ "With all of the peahat's following us, they'll be in a single large clump, so as soon as he passes through the mass, I'll have a clear shot."_ She soon heard the squeals and squawks of the peahat's and knew it was time.

As soon as they passed through the flock, the skimmer started into a tailspin and the twin cannons open fired. At the same time, Piper fired blast after blast from the two staff weapons she held. The result was a rotating maelstrom of crystal fire, creating a blender effect slicing or otherwise annihilating everything caught within.

"YAAAAAAWWWHHOOOO!" Kai cried out over the continuous blaster fire.

For a moment, Piper could have sworn that she was riding with Suzi or one of the other Zero's.

They pulled out of the tailspin just before slamming into the ground, and Kai switched the skimmer to land mode.

Getting up, Kai turned to congratulate Piper, but laughed at seeing her frozen in place. "Oh come on, my flyings not that bad, both Suzi and Starling taught me everything they knew." Seeing her expression switch from shock to horror, he did the only thing he could.

He laughed.

Several other skimmers landed and pulled up around them. Kai noted that some of the pilots looked impressed, others slightly miffed, and at least one or two looked rather ticked.

"Uh, Piper, I think we have guest." Kai said nudging the girls shoulder.

"Huh? OH! Uh, Sorry about that. We were coming to see Marina and the peahat's sorta just came out of nowhere." Piper said quickly all in one breath.

"Calm down, no harm no foul. Though in the future your friend here might want to learn proper protocol if he wishes to achieve any notable rank." Marina said jokingly.

"Excuse me mam, but I felt that the situation called for it. Those…things were starting to become a threat, and I wished to reduce the chances of any casualties." Kai replied sharply.

One of the woman from the back, a tall bronze skinned (in Kai's opinion Amazon) brought out a rather large crystal lance at this point and rushed Kai.

Bad move.

Kai knew that first impressions were oftentimes the only ones you got to make, but, just as with any Sky Knight, or in his case, survivor, his reflexes dropkicked any and all forms of higher mental function when threatened.

"You will show proper respect to the…queen?" The woman had been holding the young man by the neck, but he just….vanished.

"Where is?"

"EEP!"

The group turned to see that the newcomer was now behind the woman that had rushed him, one hand around her midsection, holding her tightly like a human…err gerudo shield, the other poised at her neck with his thumb and index finger pinching at a point close to her jugular.

"Kai stop!" Piper shouted. She was horrified at his action, while at the same time slightly impressed._ "He wasn't kidding back on the Condor."_ She thought.

Scanning the crowed and seeing that they were becoming…less than pleasant, he released the woman, took a few quick steps back and raised both hands above his head showing that he was not a threat. "Her fault." He said pointing at the still stunned woman with both of his pointer fingers. (Which were still above his head.)

Marina cocked an eyebrow at this before speaking. "You can lower your hands, we're not going to attack you, but you might want to exercise some restraint in the future." Marina watched as he slowly lowered his hands. She noticed that his eyes were continuously scanning over the group._ "He feels threatened, and Naboroou didn't help with that when she blitzed him."_ She thought.

"Piper, it is good to see you again, however, I must ask, why are you here to begin with?" Glancing at her companion, she then added. "And just who might you be? You're no Storm Hawk, not with that uniform." She then realized that they were both wearing Cyclonian uniforms, but before she spoke Kai intervened.

"My name is Kai, you probably don't remember me, but we actually met about a year ago during an attack on Cyclonis's palace. I can assure you that we are not Cyclonian's, as you already know Piper, the uniforms just happened to be the only thing we had that was ranked for a desert environment." He replied casually.

Marina gave the boy a quick once over, trying to figure out just who he was. _"Attack at Lark's palace? Which one? That place gets attacked more often than terra Hyrule. Piper seems to trust him at least to some extent, and between what he did with the peahat's, and that little stunt he just pulled, he obviously knows how to fight. Kai? Doesn't ring any bells."_

"Marina! Marina! We have a problem!"

Kai turned to see a young girl running as fast as she could. She had long blond hair and deep green eyes that matched her tunic. Kai couldn't help but smile at the site. Something about this little girl just seemed…familiar. _"Man look at those ears, she looks like an elf…wait a second."_ Looking around, he noticed that most of the people had elf like ears, the only ones that didn't were the red haired Amazons, which he noted, just as Finn had described, all had noses that looked like a hummingbird's beak.

"Saria? What's wrong?" Marina asked lowering herself to one knee.

"_Hmm strange, she lowers herself to eye level for this one? It must be a close friend, or…nahhh that couldn't be her kid….could it?"_ Kai then noticed that he was the focal point of several stairs from the now growing crowed._ "Snap, I hate an audience._"

Kai fell back on one of his crutches, one that to this day Starling berated him for.

Pulling the lock pick from his wolf tail, he let his hair fall down around his face, hiding it from view. It was something he did whenever he felt nervous, ever since he had been really little. The fact that it also shaded him from the sun was a bonus.

"Marina, Impa got hurt by the peahats!" The little girl said after catching her breath.

"Is she ok? How bad are the injuries?" Marina asked quickly.

"_Definitely not her kid."_ Kai thought.

"She's not hurt too bad. She said that in a few days she'll be fine, just a small fracture, but she said that she won't be able to compete!" The small girl said waving her arms franticly.

Marina growled. "Infernal peahat's, interrupt the festival, and then shut down the one event that was actually worth going to." She muttered under her breath. Noticing the somewhat worried looks the others were sending her, she sighed. "First things first, you two." She pointed at Kai and Piper. "Come with me, I'll have your skimmer brought to the hanger. The rest of you, head back to the festival."

"What of tomorrow's Sage tournament milady?" One of the Amazons asked.

"We will discuss that tonight at the banquet. I'm sure that we'll come up with something, in the meantime, enjoy yourselves. This is a festival after all." Marina said calmly as the group made their way through the fortress towards the largest building in the center, which Kai guessed was the palace.

Kai noticed that out of the group, six people in total seemed to be watching him like hungry, or in one case, angry hawks, which slightly unnerved him.

One was a somewhat portly man that almost looked like he was made of rock. He had a long breaded beard and several tattoos running along his arms and shoulders. Just one look at the giant, and Kai knew that this man was powerful, he gave off an air of strength, and, just as Atlas of myth, Kai was sure that his broad shoulders could hold up the world if need be. The creepy thing though was that his eyes looked like pieces of charcoal.

The second Kai thought for sure was a mermaid. Her light blue skin was the same color as her eyes, which seemed to burn like sapphires. She wore a thin clear white tunic with a cape that seemed to be made of spider silk. _"Did that thing just move?"_ Upon closer examination, he saw that it was not a cape, but rather, a pair of what he guessed to be water wings. She was very calm, and, like both the man of rock and Marina, she had an air of authority to her, an inner strength and calmness, like an island in the middle of a storm. _"She must be royalty, no doubt about that."_

Next was the woman from earlier. She was the one scrutinizing him the most. Her narrowed eyes made Kai feel like he was being examined under a microscope, and he didn't much care for that. Out of the group so far, she was actually the only one that he felt a degree of fear both for, and from. One look at her body was all it took for him to sum her up. To put it simply, she had the perfect figure for fighting, a balance between speed and power that can not be achieved through any amount of training or practice, you were either born with it, or you weren't. Her six foot plus figure was lean and limber, but at the same time, thanks to her….choice of clothing, he could see was well toned._ "Whistles been awhile since I saw a girl with a six pack"_ Kai thought. The strange thing though, was that while the others were sizing him up, she seemed to be classifying him and trying to figure out just how much of a threat he was.

The next one Kai noticed was the little girl from earlier._ "Something's not right with that one."_ Kai thought. It took him a little while, but he finally figured out what it was.

Her walk.

The way she carried herself, it was not the way a child would. Her steps were strong and purposeful, and she carried an air of determination about her, one that was only present in someone whose eyes were no longer closed, but rather, had seen the world for what it really was, ugly, and harsh. She had a bit of playfulness to her though, he thought, a certain bounce to her step that reminded him a bit of Shadow, Piper, and Suzi, or Starling before…_it_ happened.

The last two though, were the ones that he immediately decided that he didn't like. The first was a young man who he guessed was a few years older than himself. He had an air of strength and power like the others, but at the same time was extremely humble. As far as Kai could see, he didn't have an ounce of pride in his step, nor did he seem to have any real drive. It was almost like…he was finished. Not dead, not by a long shot, but rather, he didn't seem to have any real purpose, no direction he was going to, rather, he was like a leaf caught in the wind, traveling wherever it took him with little to no resistance.

The second, whom he noticed was walking closer than 'friend' distance, in fact, they were closer than 'roommate' distance, and then he noticed the rings.

"_Ah, now it makes since."_ Kai thought while grinning.

"_He's whipped."_

The woman had an air of both superiority, and the power to back it up. Kai could tell that this one, based on the way she walked, and her general demeanor, was one of a very, very rare group. One that was not only prideful, and even to an extent arrogant.

But at the same time was more than powerful enough to have it.

Kai knew it as soon as he saw it. _"She's just like Rose."_ He thought. Whatever this power was that she had, it had not simply been given to her on a silver platter; she had earned it, worked for it, and unfortunately, allowed it to go to her head.

Piper too had noticed the looks that Kai was receiving. _"This cannot be good. Of all the people in the League, why did he have to attract the attention of the Sage's?"_

As they walked through the streets, Kai watched as little kids that were running around would stop to watch the group as they traveled by in aw. Even adults that filled the streets at the many stands that littered it stopped to give a small bow, or anyone of several other forms of honorific greeting.

"Piper?" Kai nudged the girl trying to get her attention.

"Hm?" She looked over at her traveling companion questioningly.

"Whats up with all the people? They're acting…" Before he could finish he was cut off.

"They are treating us with proper honor and respect, just as I expect you to do so long as you are within league territory outsider." The blond woman replied.

Kia looked over his shoulder grinning. "So I guess those ears aren't just for show eh?" Before she could reply he continued. "Hate to tell you this princess, but honor and respect aren't given out, they're earned. I give it to who I think deserves it, and at right now, that's none of you other than Marina and jumpy over there." Kai said pointing at Naboroou.

"You should mind your manners when addressing someone who is royalty." The mermaid said in a somewhat warning tone of voice.

At this Kai spun around, but kept walking in the same direction as before (walking backwards). "Like I said, I give it to those that earn it, but I always give a degree to strangers." Seeing that she was going to say something he added. "I don't expect anyone to do otherwise for me either. Just as princess over there said, I'm an outsider, someone that you don't know." Seeing that he had grabbed several of the others attention, he continued. "Besides, I don't know any of you, Marina is the only one whose name I know, so if I insulted you customs or whatever I apologize. It's hard to pick out royalty, not the same as pointing out a wig."

"The clothing should have been a clue outsider." The blond from earlier replied.

"Ah, but that's not always the case. I know a few people that dress fancier than you do, but their nothing more than rich people with lots of expensive rings and such. At the same time, I know at least one person that is royalty, but you'd never know it unless she told you herself." Kai answered.

"Why might that be?" The mermaid asked.

"Ok, before I start answering questions, could you at least tell me your names? And stop calling me outsider, my name is Kai." He said looking at the one he had already identified as Zelda.

"My apologies Kai, my name is Ruto, Water Sage and Queen of terra Zora." The mermaid replied. Kai decided that he liked this one. She had been a bit on the rough side earlier, but he guessed that was because she had thought he was rude, when in reality he had only been somewhat ignorant.

"Ah, nice to meet you Ruto. I was beginning to wonder if you were a mermaid." Kai said chuckling.

"Mermaid?" She asked in confusion.

"Yeah, mermaid…You've never heard of a mermaid before?" Kai asked genuinely surprised to see her had shaking no.

"Well, mermaids are a mythical creature from the golden days of Atmosia. Supposedly, they were humans that had fish tails and lived under water. I was starting to think that the old legends might have been right though meeting you."

The woman tiled her to one side pondering the information before replying. "If seen from above while swimming, a Zora would appear to have a fish tail, and I am fairly certain that at one time my people explored your present day Atmosia. It is entirely possible that they were believed to be mythical creatures by your early Sky merchants." She replied.

"Cool, looks like in our first five minutes of knowing each other we solved a thousand year old mystery." Kai said with a grin before turning to look at the giant. "How bout you?"

The large man looked down at him with a mid level glare, though Kai knew that more than likely; he could easily up it to Starling's level or higher.

"Darunia, Sage of Fire, Sky Knight and King of terra Death Mountain." He replied in a gruff, rocky (no pun intended) tone.

"Terra Death Mountain? I bet you guys get lots of tourist eh?" Kai asked jokingly. He was caught off guard by the reply he got however.

"Only during the festivals or celebrations." He said in the same tone as before. Kai had a hard time telling if the man had been serious or was joking, so he decided to move along to the next one.

"How bout you little lady?" Kai asked the youngest of the group.

She jumped at first when she felt him tap her shoulder, which surprised Kai since she had been staring at him the entire time.

"Could you repeat the question please?" She asked sincerely.

"Is something wrong? You seemed kinda spaced out there for a second." Kai replied.

"Oh, I was just…" She seemed to be searching for the right word, which once again surprised Kai. "I was trying to see you." She finally replied.

"See me? I'm right here. Oh…you're not..blind are you?" Kai asked suddenly worried.

Marina who had been listening had to suppress a small laugh._ "Very interesting this one. He plays the part of the fool to get others to open up and speak in a more eased fashion."_ Marina was no fool. She knew full well that while Kai was not from around these parts, and was being truthful when he said he didn't know who they were, he had lied when he said that he didn't know they were royalty.

"What? Oh no no no no no! I'm not blind, no; it's just…hard to explain to an outsi…" When she saw the slight frown on Kai's face she changed her wording. "Someone that is not from these parts."

"Well, try me miss…" Kai left it hanging so that she would catch on to what the others had been talking about.

"Oh, my name is Saria, Sage of Forrest, and Sage of the Kokori Forrest Sparrows." She replied giving a slight bow.

"So...you're not like their…princess or queen?" Kai asked.

Saria smiled and shook her head. "No, not all Sage's are royalty. Besides, terra Kokori is not ruled by a monarchy." She answered.

Kai furrowed his brow before speaking. "Don't take this the wrong way, but, your kind of articulate for a little kid. You some kind of protégée or something?"

"We are not little kid's outsider!" A blond haired kid shouted running up beside Saria.

"Mido, he doesn't know." Saria reprimanded that one Kai figured was Mido, before turning to answer the question/statement. "Kokori stop aging physically once they turn twelve, I'm actually close to twice that age." She answered.

"Must be nice to stay a kid forever." Kai said both sincerely, and at the same time bitterly.

"Not always. It means that we never get to grow up with those we are close to, not to mention we're always short." Saria addad trying to lighten the mood.

"_Hmm, Sage of Forrest indeed. She has the wisdom of one as old as the wood."_

"It comes with the title." She said snickering.

"Yeah, I know what you…"Kai tripped and fell on his back side. "You can read peoples thoughts!" He shouted.

At this point he saw several of them were smiling.

"Not completely. It's not as though I'm telepathic, but surface thoughts and ones that come honestly from the heart I can see. That is what I meant earlier when I said that I was trying to see you." Sari said offering him a hand up, and seemingly forgetting her small statue.

Kai accepted the hand and was surprised at the small girl's strength, not super grade, but easily equal to that of a normal human. "Then why were you having trouble?" He asked curiously.

Once again she paused before speaking. "You have…a darkness about you, it surrounds you, but is not part of you. At the same time however, it does not seem to be controlling, or even influencing your actions. It…it almost surrounds you like a cloud, only opening when you allow it, like a hooded cloak."

This caught Piper's attention, that and the glare Kai sent her way. She mouthed to him in her defense. "I didn't know."

Turning back to the girl…young woman Kai reminded himself, he continued. "What do you think it means?" He asked sincerely. It was almost unheard of for anyone to have abilities like this back in Atmosia, so he was genuinely curious at just how he appeared to someone with what he guessed was some sort of rudimentary second sight.

"As I said, it surrounds you, but is not from you, a part of you, but at the same time not. I don't know what it means, other than the fact you keep much hidden, and it would seem that you prefer to keep it that way." She answered.

Kai nodded and smiled in understanding._ "She respects my privacy."_ He then turned to the one from earlier, whom he had nicknamed 'jumpy'.

"So? How about you? I'm guessing that you're a Sage too based on the way you were staring at me earlier, unless of course you saw something you liked." Kai said in a mock flirty tone.

The red head scoffed. "Children do not appeal to me unenlightened one."

Marina grinned. "Oh really? Because I could have sworn that." She stopped when she caught sight of the death glares from both Naboroou and Zelda.

"For your information, I'm not dumb, just board. That aside, come on! Everyone else had introduced themselves so far, why do you get to be the exception." Kai pointed out using his favorite form of logic.

Kids

You couldn't really argue with it, since due to its simplicity it had no loopholes to jump through or ways to bend and twist it.

"My name is Naboroou, Sage of Spirit for the Desert Thieves of terra Gerudo." She replied.

"And?" Kai asked staring at a bird that flew overhead.

"And what?" She replied.

"That's it? No story? You're boring." Kai said flatly.

Once again, Naboroou scoffed. "You're as bad as Finn." She muttered.

"You take that back." Kai said looking in her direction slightly peeved.

There were two things that Kai despised; womanizers were one of them, so being compared to one made him bristle.

"Excuse me?" She asked.

"I said take it back. I'm nothing like that skirt chaser." Kai huffed. When he didn't get a response he turned to the remaining two.

"Ok what's your story? I take it that your married or at the very least engaged." Kai pointed at the sizable rock on Zelda's hand.

"I am Zelda, Sage of Light and Princess of terra Hyrule uncouth one." She replied sharply.

"Geeze, you're just like Harrier." Kai said shuddering before looking at her companion. "How bout you? Let me guess, Sage of Patience or Endurance right?" Kai asked grinning.

Most of the surrounding group had to turn away for a moment to hide the grins they wore, even Naboroou.

"No, I am not a Sage, though I can see why you must think that I am." He replied indicating the others in the group, while at the same time missing the joke entirely. "I am Link, and yes, you are correct that we are indeed married." He said giving Zelda a small smile before returning to the visitor. "I am terra Hyrule's Sky Knight, as well as one of the keepers of the tri-force, Courage of Nayru. Though she did not tell you, Zelda is one as well, Wisdom of Farore."

"Tri-force? I'm guessing that means that there is a third one right?" Kai asked.

"Correct, that would be me." Marina replied dropping from the front of the group to the middle where Kai had taken up residence.

"What are you then?" He asked.

Marina smiled. "Power of Din" She replied before looking at Link and Zelda. "Also the only one that's of any real use in a fight." She added.

"Still, you said your names Link right?" Kai asked the green tuniced elf.

"That is correct." He replied.

"Bet it's a lot of fun when you go missing huh?" Kai snickered.

It took a moment for anyone to understand the joke, but when they did a few chuckled, Link actually laughed before Zelda cut in.

"Now that we've all introduced ourselves, care to explain why you are here? Or who you are for that matter?" She asked narrowing her eyes.

"My business is with Marina alone, as for who or what I am, well, that's a bit complicated." Kai answered honestly.

That actually did grab most of their attention. Had he said 'who' they would have passed it off, but he had said 'what' he was. It was very rare for a person to identify themselves as a what, not a who.

"Well, for starters, position and squadron would be sufficed." Darunia said surprising most of those in the group.

"Once again, that is a bit complicated." Kai was cut off by Zelda.

"He means that he has no position or rank and is not a member of any squadron." She said snidely.

Kai glared at the woman, he didn't know what her problem was, but he was intent on setting the record straight. "Eeeeeggg wrong answer." Kai buzzed. "Officially I hold duel rankings, apprentice to Sky Knight Starling of the Mesa Interceptors and Raider of the MRS Bloodcrow, unofficially, I have quite a few." He replied.

"Weren't the Mesa Interceptors destroyed?" Link asked slightly puzzled. The Hyrulian league had been in negotiations with the Sky Knight Council for several months now, and during one of their visits Link had been granted access to the archives. He hadn't done any serious research, but he had been curious to know just how many squadrons there were.

He was surprised to find that there were actually quite a few.

Kai's head and shoulders slumped slightly. Looking up towards the sky, he replied in a rather bitter tone. "Yes, they were. They died buying time for the terra's civilian population to get away." Closing his eyes for a moment, Kai had to fight to stay in control. "Every last one of them died that day." Kai said when he reopened his eyes.

This confused Piper greatly. "Kai, what are you talking about? Starling's still alive, the Interceptors weren't all killed." She said confused.

The others were now paying very close attention to the little interchange.

"I didn't say that they were all killed, I said that they all died. There's a difference between someone who's dead, and someone that's been killed." Kai shot back.

Out of the entire group, Piper was the only one that was confused by the statement.

"Uh, I know that you have different designations in Atmosia, but just what is a Raider? And I don't think I've ever heard of terra MRS, or a squadron called the Bloodcrows before." Marina said trying to change the subject to one less depressing.

"Because there isn't. Raider is not a position on a squadron; it's a rank for the Murk Raiders. Also, MRS Bloodcrow is a ship, not a terra or a squadron." Kai clarified.

"Murk Raiders?" Naboroou asked at finally having heard something that caught her interest.

"Yeah, their kind of like pirates. They move about wherever they want, but for the most part they stay around terra Deep. I guess you could say that the Bloodcrow is their flagship." Kai said slightly uncomfortable with the subject.

"So you're a pirate?" Zelda asked hand reaching for the bow strung across her back.

"In a sense I suppose. But I'm not an actual crew member; Raider is the rank Captain Scabulous gave me so that the others would leave me alone. It's the highest officer you can be aside from first mate." Kai replied with a slight frown.

"And who is this...Captain Scabulous?" Marina asked filing the information away for future use.

"I guess you could call him the unofficial leader of the Murk Raiders." Kai answered.

"Unofficial? Who is the official leader?" Ruto asked confused at why there would be an unofficial leader.

Marina and Naboroou however already knew about that. Pirates, thieves, bandits, not much of a difference.

"Well, their pirates. They don't have any structured form of rule or government. Scabulous just happens to be the one that everyone listens too and obeys." Kai replied with a slight chuckle.

"Why? Does he have something over the others?" Naboroou asked wondering if this Scabulous was anything like Ganondorf.

"Welllll you could say that. He has the biggest ship, and the most cannons. So yeah, he does have something over them." Kai said still chuckling.

"Well, this has all been very interesting, but I need to check on Impa. Kai, you and Piper are free to do as you wish, so long as it is within reason. I will speak with you as soon as I am able." Seeing Kai give a slight bow out of respect, she decided to have a bit of fun at Zelda's expense. "Also, you are both invited to tonight's banquet. I am sure that we can find you something more appropriate to ware." She said indicating their current state of dress.

"They are neither Sage nor Sky Knight; they have no place at the council table." Zelda protested.

"True, but they are my guests, and this is my palace, in my city, on my terra. So, they are invited." She replied with a grin that would have made her father proud.

Zelda gave one last scathing glare before exiting and dragging her husband with her.

"Well, that certainly went well, wouldn't you say?" Kai asked Piper who groaned at the prospect of another upper class diner that was sure to turn into a disaster.

End Chapter 13

AN: I hope that wasn't too bad, I haven't played Legend of Zelda OOT in…what, eight? Nine? Years. That and…..I never got that far….stupid giant fish (kicks rock). Anyways, I hope that you all liked it, particularly you Star Wars Nut, since this is your realm. The next couple of chapters are going to skip around, you'll see what I mean later. Please review, and , till next time, Ja Ne!


	14. The NotADate?

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 14 The Not-A-Date?

AN: Well, I couldn't just leave you hanging all the time. I don't want cliffhangers to become old, so they won't always have multi chapter splits between them. I hope I don't botch the Sage's characters too badly, and I hope you enjoy this chapter while waiting for the next one. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra! (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites). Enjoy! Oh, and there is a special announcement at the end, it's a bit long, but it's important.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

"So like, what do we do?" Kai asked turning towards Piper, who was still leaning her face against the palace wall.

"Wy wont wo." Was her muffled reply.

"What?" Kai asked not understanding the bluenettes muffled words.

After tapping her head against the wall one last time she turned to face him. "I said, I don't know." She replied exasperated.

"Hey are you alright?" Kai asked. He hadn't been joking earlier when he said he didn't want to have to put up with Aerrow chasing him with his little 'feather blades'.

"No, I'm not alright." She replied in a tone that basically said 'no duh'.

This confused Kai. _"What's wrong with her? Everything was fine a few minutes ago, what changed?"_ Taking a few steps forward, Kai did one of the few things Billy Rex had taught him that was actually useful.

He asked the painfully obvious that he should have known but didn't without caring how it made him look.

"What's the problem? If it's Zelda, just say to word, they'll never find the." Kai stopped when Piper looked up at him shocked. Once he saw that he had her attention, and no longer had to fight the ground or her boots for it, he spoke.

"Good, now that I have your attention, mind telling me what the problem is?" Kai asked.

"_What's going on with him? One minute he's normal, then he's cold and now he's concerned?"_ Sighing, Piper decided that there was no harm in telling him, since he was probably one of the very few that didn't already know.

"It's the dinner." Piper bit her lip and looked away for a moment. "Every time I'm at some fancy or high class gathering, the guys do something that ends up on the six o clock news and I get humiliated. I guess you could say that I've developed a bit of a phobia with them." She said leaning against the wall.

Kai listened, and when she was finished nodded his head. "So, you're thinking that I'm going to do something along the same lines correct?" He asked.

Piper was about to say, 'duh' but then remembered who this was she was talking to. "Well….lets just say that years of experience have left me with very little in the way of faith." She replied.

Snorting, Kai started walking into the city. Piper, who thought she had done something wrong got worried, that was until he turned back to face her.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" He asked.

"What?" She asked confused.

"I asked if you were coming or not. There happens to be a festival going on. I'm board, you are too probably, and we have at least eight more hours before the dinner shin dig. So, you in, or do you want to wait around the door waiting?" He asked.

Piper weighed her options._ "Well, most of the book stories are probably closed, along with the libraries since I'm guessing a festival is like a holiday, so its not like I've got much else to do, especially if Marina is going to be busy for the rest of the day. On the other hand, going to the festival with Kai would almost be like a…."_

"Ok, if you're going to stick around here, then I'm off. I'll be back in." Kai was cut off by Piper.

"Well, it's just…I mean….nothing against you…but…well…" Piper tried to stammer out her response but couldn't.

Kai, figuring out what her problem was rolled his eyes. "Fine, hang on a second." He said.

Looking both ways, Kai made sure that nobody was watching, when he was sure that the coast was clear, he placed his hand over his face and moved it down to his chest.

Piper watched as what looked like millions upon millions of tiny needles rose up then back down, causing a ripple effect. When it ended, Piper's breath hitched.

There, standing in his normal Storm Hawks flight suit.

Was Aerrow.

"That better?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

"You..you..you can make yourself look like other people?" Piper asked."

Kai frowned before stepping closer to her. "I would prefer if you didn't shout that out. People tend to dislike stuff like that."

"_He even sounds like Aerrow!"_ Piper thought. Seeing that he was losing patents, Piper stammered out the only thing she could.

"It..it's not you..it's just that…I'm known here, your not. I would…I would prefer to be…not known." She said lowering her head in shame.

"_Good grief. The girls so attached to the woodpecker that she thinks being seen in public with some other guy is cheating on him. And their not even together?"_ Knowing her plight, but not wanting to make things any more difficult on her, Kai decided to play the dumb card.

"Well, if that's the case, why didn't you say so in the first place? Just don't complain alright?" Kai said smiling.

Piper looked up to see what he was talking about and watched as the wave spread across him again. This time she almost laughed.

Once again, Kai had altered his appearance, but this time, it was not into another person, rather it was just a few changes. He now wore a light blue tunic with grey trousers, his hair seemed to have grown out a bit longer and was now blond, but the biggest change was his ears.

They looked just like a normal Hyruleian's.

Piper snickered at first and covered her mouth to stifle the laughs.

Kai raised one eyebrow before speaking. "Just remember, no complaining." He said warningly.

"Wh..wh…why…why would I …..Complain….when I can…barely stand!" Piper clutched her sides as she hunched over laughing. She couldn't help it, it was just too funny. Seeing a blond Kai with elf ears was just hilarious.

"Ok, as long as you don't complain." He said poking her forehead with his index finger.

"Hey why did..EEP!" Piper tried to scream, but it came out as an eep.

There was much she didn't know about Kai. Sure, she knew about his illusion tricks, and she had just seen him change his appearance to that of another person, and then another species, but there was one thing she hadn't counted on.

Him being able to do the same to someone else.

Piper wrapped her arms around her midsection and was about to let lose a blue streak when she noticed something.

"_What the? I can still feel the suite?"_ Piper slowly unwrapped her arms and looked down.

She was now dressed similar to the other desert thieves. Her puffy wide pants were a dark blue color, same as the pointed shoes she now wore. Her sleeves were gone and in their place were a pair of blue cloth forearm guards and rather elaborate gold bands were around her upper arms. Her problem was with the top.

Or as she would say, lack there of.

She held nothing against the guerdo and their customs. This included, but was not limited to their style of clothing, however, that did not mean she wanted to partake of them.

Her 'shirt' was a dark blue swim suit top.

But the strange thing was, she could still feel the skin tight flight suit she had been wearing.

"_Duh, illusions! It's not real Piper."_ She mentally berated herself.

"As long as you don't touch my ears, your nose, or try anything with your hair, nobody will know a thing." Kai said with a smirk.

"But how did? I mean, since when did you?" Piper sputtered.

"I've known how to make illusions since I was six, trust me, something like this is nothing." Kai said smiling. "Now, are you ready?" He asked holding out one arm towards the many stands that littered the city.

"_Great job Piper. You were trying to worm your way out of it but you just made it worse."_ Once again she mentally kicked herself. "I guess, I'm just…a bit."

"Don't worry, I wont tell the woodpecker you went with me to a festival." Kai said chuckling.

Piper shot him an annoyed look, but relented. "Fine, but I'm not paying for anything." She said pointedly.

"No of course not." Grinning, Kai tossed up a leather pouch and caught it right as it started to fall.

"Naboroou is." He grinned.

"Well, what do you think?" Marina asked watching the two from her bedroom window.

Naboroou watched them intently. Taking in every detail she could of the two before turning to her queen. "I don't trust him." She said frankly.

"Well there's a surprise." Marina said in a board tone. "You haven't trusted a single male since the start of the war, aside from the other Sage's, Link, and the Storm Hawks anyways." Marina walked over to her table and picked up an apple.

"He's hiding something, from us as well as her." Naboroou said looking back out the window.

"Why would you say that?" Marina asked taking a bite out of earlier mentioned apple.

Naboroou watched closely as Kai changed his appearance twice, then finally changing Piper's so that they looked like some random Hyrulian and Gerudo. "Well, for one thing he's a shape shifter, which means he uses some form of magic." She said snorting.

"So he's got some power, big deal. So does Zelda. We might not like her, but we do trust her. What has he done aside from be born a guy that warrants us not to trust him as we do Piper?" Marina knew that she could trust Naboroou, the woman had impeccable instincts, but they were sometimes a bit clouded by her lack of trust in men in general.

"He never looks anyone in the eye." She replied.

"Hmm?" Marina asked tossing the apple core into a trash basket behind her without looking.

"I said he never looks you in the eye. When he talks to you, he looks at your hairline, the bridge of your nose or he just plain avoids looking you in the face by looking upward or all around while speaking." She replied.

"Sometimes, your eyes can be scary. You know that?" Marina asked sitting up.

Naboroou didn't reply, instead, she gnashed her teeth and then reached around to feel for her wallet.

"Yeah, well I'll give you another reason not to trust him!" Naboruoo shouted turning to face her queen.

"That little street rat picked my pocket!"

Piper blanched.

"You stole her wallet." Piper said in an almost trance like state.

Kai frowned slightly. "Well, it's payback for trying to run me through with a lance. Besides, I though she was the 'Sage' of the Desert Thieves." Kai said using air quotes. A good thief never lets their guard down. Besides, she didn't look like she would miss a couple of gold…" Kai stopped as he looked into the wallet. He reached in and pulled out a small red crystal. "What the heck are these? Did I take her ammo pouch or something?" Kai asked staring at the gem fragment.

Piper laughed. "It's called a rupee. It's their currency over here. Green's are ones, reds are ten's and blues are twenty." She said smiling.

"Hmm….good thing I took her wallet then, otherwise we'd be broke." Kai said shrugging his shoulders.

"Guards! A little help would be appreciated!" Marina shouted trying to hold back her squadrons Sage.

Two guards rushed in and helped their queen as best they could, which wasn't much.

Naboroou was one of the physically strongest gerudo on the terra, even with three people holding on to her, one on each of her arms and Marina on her back, she was still taking slow determined steps towards the door.

"Naboroou get a hold of yourself!" Marina shouted trying to wake her friend out of her rage induced trance.

"Not…grrrrrr….until…..I……grr….make…..him…..pay!" The woman spoke a single word with each step she took.

"Naboroou! Think about it! He took your wallet when you attacked him the first time. Do you really want to risk what he might do if you come after him a second time?" Marina reasoned.

The older woman stopped to think about that one. _"He doesn't seem to be openly hostile, more along the lines of playful and conniving. He probably took my wallet to get back at me for rushing him, and because of my squadrons name. If I were to call him out and go after him, what's the worst a prankster with some magic powers could do?"_

The image of a certain green haired problem from Atmosia came to mind.

Eyes wide and face snow white. Naboroou came to a dead stop.

"Your right. Bad idea." She said quickly calming down."

"Um Piper, I uh…is there anything I should know?" Kai asked nervously.

"Hm? Like what?" Piper asked.

"Well, like, are there any…uh….customs I should be aware of? You know..things like..uh..marriage or courtship rituals?" He asked in a hushed tone.

"Courtship? What is…" Piper had to run that one through her mental dictionary a few times.

_Click_

"Um….Kai…why are you asking me about dating and marriage?" She squeaked.

"Because everyone is staring at us, and I don't like what those girls back there where whispering." Kai said once again in a hushed tone.

"What were they saying?" Piper asked. She didn't see anything strange about what they were doing. After all there were quite a few other people at the festival that didn't appear to be anything more than friends, so why would it matter if they were?

"It's the arm bands."

Kai and Piper both jumped at hearing the voice behind them.

Turning, they saw Saria smiling gently.

"What?" Kai asked. Out of respect, he didn't simply look down at the young woman, he, like Marina had earlier, crouched down to his knees so that they were at eye level.

Piper, for her part looked at the bands around her upper arms, trying to see what was wrong with them. She had only looked at them briefly earlier, and since she knew they weren't really even there, she ignored them. But now, she looked at them a bit closer, she was able to see that despite being a illusion, Kai had actually put a great deal of effort into them.

They were gold of course, but there was a design that ran across it. She recognized it to be ancient runes. Most of them she recognized; only the one next to the last was unfamiliar to her. _"I don't see the problem. All they say is, Friend of the guardian. And I doubt anyone here can ever read them."_ Piper thought.

"What's wrong with them?" Kai asked curious.

Saria giggled. "Well, nothing is _wrong_ with them. It's just what they stand for that has everyone's attention. The bands themselves, not the engraving." The small Kokori said covering her mouth with her hand to stifle a laugh.

"What do the arm bands stand for?" Kai asked confused.

Saria quickly looked to each side before walking over to Kai and whispering something into his ear.

At first Piper didn't see what the big deal was, but apparently it was something pretty big. Kai went white as a ghost.

"What does a second one mean?" He asked with more than a little fear leaking from his voice.

If at all possible, the girls grin got even wider. Once again she whispered something to Kai.

This time, his face turned red enough to make a cherry jealous. Getting up, he quickly walked up to Piper and waved his hand from one of the arm bands to the other, causing them to fade away and disappear, as though they were never there.

"What was that about?" Piper asked.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." Waving his hand a second time, both his and Piper's disguises shifted from blue to pale green.

"Would you mind telling me what you're doing?" Piper asked still confused.

"Making us look different, that way no one will know it was us walking around earlier." Seeing the confused expression on her face, he continued. "Just…..trust me on this….you don't want to know." He said.

Piper looked back to Saria, who was snickering. "Could you please tell me what that was about?" She asked getting annoyed by Kai's lack of an explanation.

Saria smiled."Are you sure that you want to know?" She asked with a playful smile.

"Yes, I do." Piper replied.

This of course made Saria to once again snicker. "Just keep that phrase in mind." She said after regaining her composure.

Bristling at the comment, Kai stepped in. "I'm assuming that you know who we really are, don't you?" He asked.

Saria nodded and tapped her right temple. "Yep, aside from the fact that the two of you were acting like a couple of tourist." She replied.

Sighing, Kai figured that there must be a reason she was following them. "Ok then, why are you here?" He asked.

This seemed to catch the small woman off guard. "Oh, I was just enjoying the festival. I just sort of ran into you, or, rather, you kind of ran into me back there." Saria replied pointed at the crowed street that Kai and Piper had just come from.

It seemed to take a minute for him to understand what she had meant, but when he saw that her once clean and crisp tunic now had dust covering its back, it hit him. Cringing, he apologized. "Sorry about that, I just…well...kinda panicked."

Saria just smiled. "Don't worry about it. Hey have you tried any of the games yet?" She asked.

"Not really, we were just sort of…killing time until dinner." Piper replied.

"Oh! You have to at least try them. The festival only comes once a year and you missed it last time by a week. Come on! I'll show you around!" Saria then grabbed Kai and Piper's hands and dragged them back out into the streets.

"So, what are they doing now?" Marina asked Naboroou as she looked over the festival charter, trying to find a loophole that could bale out the Sage's Seraphim, and her wagers for tomorrow.

Naboroou was now leaning outside the window, still watching the two visitors, as per her queen's orders.

"They seem to be enjoying the festival, or at least Piper is. The male seems to be….a bit off." She replied.

"A bit off? What do you mean?" Marina asked raising an eyebrow.

"Would you mind explaining this to me one more time?" Kai asked eyeing the wheeled mouse the he was holding with trepidation.

"It's called a bombchu. You want to try and hit the target at the end down there with it." Saria explained.

"That's it? Nothing….else…nothing I have to do? Just hit the target with this?" He asked pointing at robotic mouse.

"Yep! That's about it." Saria said smiling.

Shrugging his shoulders, Kai took a step back, which confused Saria.

"_What's going on, he looks like he's about to."_ Then her eyes went wide.

"WAIT! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO!" She never got to finish.

Kai held the mouse in both hands, and then raised one leg skyward before slamming it down and hurling the mouse like a missile.

Of course it hit the target dead center, and went through it….and the one behind it….and the next one…and the next one….and through the poor young lady's wall….into the building behind it…..where it exploded.

"You're supposed to drop it on the ground so it could scurry!" Saria shouted before hitting Kai upside the head with a rather large club.

"What the heck! You said to make this hit that target! And that's what I did!" Kai shouted rubbing his now bruised head.

Calming down, Saria dragged the two to the next booth, as quickly as she could.

"He what?" Marina asked thinking that her sage had been joking.

"He curled a bombchu through the bowling ally." Naboroou said as she pounded the wall laughing.

"Ok, this is a slingshot." Saria said holding up the object.

"I was a kid once you know. I know what a sling shot is." Kai snorted.

Saria ignored him and continued. "These are seeds. Use the slingshot, to fire the seeds, at the targets." She said as though she were scolding a small child.

Of course Piper found this to be very entertaining.

"Well after what you did back at the bowling ally I couldn't be sure!" She shouted somehow in his face despite being three feet shorter than him.

Scowling, Kai took the slingshot and bag of seeds. "Any other rules I need to know about?" He asked sarcastically.

"GO!" The man running the both shouted as the targets sprung to life. Several bulls eyes were flipping up and back down, others were spinning front to back, and a few were moving on a rotating track.

Kai watched as they moved, doing nothing, he just watched them.

"Your supposed to try and." Saria never got the chance to finish.

_Fppth fppth fppth fppth fppth fppth fppth fppth fppth_

_Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding ding_

Kai narrowed one eye shut, and sure enough, one last target popped up in the middle.

_Fppth_

_Ding_

Placing the sling shot back on the stand, Kai turned back to the other two. "So, how was that?" He asked crossing his arms with a smug grin.

"_Man he's good. But why did he hesitate at the beginning? Finn just starts firing as soon as one of these things starts up."_ Piper wondered. Then a second though hit her. _"He just nailed ten targets like it was nothing!"_

"That was…pretty good." Saria said shrugging her shoulders.

"Pretty…pretty! Lets see you do better!" Kai shouted pulling out a blue rupee. "This say's you couldn't do better!"

Saria lowered her head. If anyone could have seen her face though, they would have run. Her grin was equal to that of Suzu's on April fools day.

"Ok." She said stepping up to the booth.

"GO!" Once again the targets sprung to life.

Saria took up the slingshot and started firing in what seemed to be random directions into the booth.

"HA! You won't hit a single…one?" Kai's eyes bugged out as the seeds ricocheted from the walls and hit all the targets.

Grinning, Saria took the blue rupee and place it into her wallet.

Piper of course laughed while Kai scowled mumbling something about being sandbagged.

This of course went of for the rest of the day. Saria showed them around, and the two tried their hands at a few games.

By the time evening came along, Kai had won a small purple stuffed bird, and Piper had won an enormous stuffed bear.

Saria….she had a large sack full of prizes.

"Piper, there is no way you're taking that back with us." Kai said sternly.

Piper pouted. "You're just upset that I hit the bell and you didn't."

Kai growled at this and mumbled off about there was no way such a skinny girl could slam a sledge hammer like that.

Piper silently thanked Arygyn for the training last year.

"Oh! The dinner starts in an hour!" Piper shouted. "What do we do?! We never got any other clothes!" Piper started off into a tizzy.

Sighing, Kai bent down to Saria and slipped her another blue rupee. "Thanks for the help. At least she was calm for most of the day."

Saria smiled. "No problem, but how did you know that it was me you had bumped into this morning?" She asked.

Kai tapped his nose. "You're not the only one with a gift." He said with a grin. He then got up and walked over to Piper.

"Piper, you've been calm all day, why are you so upset all of a sudden?" He asked calmly.

"WHY! Because I had forgotten about the dinner! Oh man.. this is bad. We don't have anything to." Before she could continue Kai tapped her shoulder.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" He asked motioning to himself and then to her.

Confused, Piper looked down, and then she looked back up. "Oh..ah ha..um….yeah…forgot about that….sorry." Piper said still somewhat down.

"Hey no big. Just tell me what you want to look like and you will." He said leaning back against the wall.

"Well….I…I don't really know….I mean…I've never…actually….you know…had a choice." She said once again extremely self conscious.

Kai took a deep breath and then exhaled. Piper watched as the strange ripple wave once again ran across the two of them. When it finished, they looked like they had when they arrived.

"Look, why don't you go inside and wait by the dinning hall, I'll meet up with you in a minute ok?" He asked smoothly.

Piper sighed, but acknowledged that she really had no other choice. Kai took her stuffed bear and went into the palace with her, but then headed off in the opposite direction, to the guest rooms Saria had told them were theirs.

Once inside, he placed the bear on one bed, then the little stuffed bird on the other. He then locked the door, and went into the small restroom, closed the door, and fell to his knees clutching his sides.

Piper watched as the other guest arrived. All of them she remembered to some degree, some more than others.

Of course she remembered the Sage's, and most of the Sky Knights. She gave a small polite wave to them as they entered, trying not to pay attention to the vast difference in their clothing. She still in a flight suite, while the others were all in what she thought were very dressy evening clothes.

Zelda of course scoffed at seeing her, and with a roll of her eyes went inside.

This did nothing to help Piper's already shrinking courage. _"Come on Kai! Where are you?"_ She thought.

While this was happening, Kai was keeled over clutching his sides in pain.

"_AAGGH! By the egg! I shouldn't have kept it up for that long!"_ Kai thought as he tried desperately to regain his senses. _"Man, why did I even do it in the first place?"_ Of course he already knew the answer; he just chose to ignore it in favor of blaming his pain on it.

"_I should have known better, but I had no other choice. I had to tap it just to keep the bloody illusion up, blasted dragon!"_ Kai mentally shouted. It took him a few more minutes before he was able to get the pain down to a manageable level, but as soon as he was able, he got up and washed off his face before heading back down to Piper, making sure to wipe all traces of pain from his face.

"There you are! Where have you been?!" Piper asked upon seeing Kai walking down the stairs.

"Kai grinned sheepishly. "Well, we were walking around for eight hours, I kinda had to use the rest room, but since Saria was dragging us around all day…" Kai shrugged his shoulders when Piper sighed.

"Listen, you were able to do that illusion thing earlier today, can you make one that's a bit…more detailed?" She asked hopefully.

Kai tapped his chin for a moment. "How detailed?" He asked.

Piper grabbed his arm and dragged him to the dinning hall and peeked her head in. After seeing that everyone was still standing and dinner had not yet been served, she turned back to Kai. "See for yourself." She said.

Kai leaned past Piper and looked into the dinning room and felt his face blanch. "Ah, that kind of detailed."

"Yes that kind of detailed." Once again she sighed. "Look, it doesn't have to be anything fancy, just…I don't know, something that isn't a flight suit I guess." She said disappointed.

Kai watched as she shoulders slumped. _"Well, what's it going to be Kai?"_ Taking a small whiff of the air, he was able to pick up a few of Piper's emotions, and while he didn't understand many of them, he did recognize the strongest of the scents; it was one that he was very familiar with.

Disappointment

Sighing, Kai clutched his stomach. "Hey Piper, wanna see something really cool?" He asked grinning.

Piper looked up at him with eyes that nearly made him want to hurl. They had a near lifeless look to them.

Kai's face switched from a grin to a warm smile. "I've never really done fancy before, but, I'll give it a shot." He said calmly.

Piper gave a sad smile and a shrug. "Don't worry about it, it's just another dinner. What's another drop in a bucket?" She asked.

Kai took one last look into the dinner hall, searching for anyone that was close to Piper in color and build, someone he could use as a model.

He quickly found one. If he had to guess, the woman was in her early to mid thirties and had silver colored hair. He hadn't seen her before, but all he needed was a basic idea of what to do. He then scanned the crowed for the most recent addition to his 'bad' list. _"Ah there you are."_ Kai grinned when he caught sight of Zelda.

Taking a step back from the doorway, Kai closed his eyes and mentally combined the two images, the coloring and sequencing from the silver haired woman, with Zelda's trim and style. The image wasn't bad, but he decided it was missing something. Mentally he reviewed what he had seen during his two peeks.

Then it hit him. Zelda's white finery had a gold stitched emblem on the back that came up to and around the shoulders, same as Naborooru, Ruto, the silver haired woman and Saria. Darunia was wearing a red robe and was facing towards him however so he couldn't tell if he shared the same patterned formula.

"_Alright, I'll add a little extra."_ Once the mental image was complete, Kai walked over to Piper. "Ok, close your eyes for a second." He said smiling.

Piper raised an eyebrow, but did as he told.

Kai put his hands on her shoulders, and took a deep breath.

"Where are Kai and Piper?" Saria asked looking around the room.

"Who's Kai?" Impa asked.

"Oh that's right! You've been stuck in here all day so you didn't know. Piper came back and she brought a friend!" Saria said happily.

Impa sighed. She had grown accustomed to the small woman's childish ways, but that didn't mean that she always liked them. She was still rather perturbed with herself for getting injured fighting peahats of all things.

"Well, if they are not here by the time it begins, it won't really matter." Zelda said walking by the others to get to her seat.

"Dinner is."

"Hey sorry we're late, got a bit turned around in here, all the halls in this place look the same." Kai's voice called out from the doorway.

Zelda turned to give a rather scathing remark, but stopped when she saw the 'uncouth' one from earlier that day.

She was not the only one; most of the room had fallen silent.

Kai's style of dress was something that they had never seen before, but at the same time, they knew it was not exactly everyday wear.

Kai wore what appeared to be a three part robe of some sort. The first part was black and consisted of what looked like a lose fitting pair of pants; the top had long and wide sleeves. The second part was a white sleeveless robe that nearly reached his knees and was worn over the first layer like a vest. The last part was a white scarf that ran down the back of each of his shoulders.

It wasn't overly elegant, nor was it fancy, but it was definitely not 'commoner' wear.

"Hey Piper, come on their starting." He said over his shoulder.

If Kai had stunned them, Piper knocked them dead.

The closest thing anyone could think of to matching it was Zelda's most formal attire.

There were quite a few differences however. For one thing it was mostly black, with the exception of the shoulder mantle cloth which was silver. The normally plain shoulder length gloves were fingerless and had gold and silver embroidery, the left being a golden dragon whose wings and tail wrapped around her arm, the right being a silver hawk that did the same. Around her neck was a leather thin chocker that had an onyx stone hanging from a golden clasp.

But it was the back that caught most of the female's attention. They didn't even notice it until after she walked by them.

Across her back was a large version of the Storm Hawks insignia, stitched in silver thread, but outlined in gold.

Marina smirked when she saw Zelda's reaction. "Well, now that all of you are here, dinner is served." She said grinning.

Since it was Marina's palace, and thereby her dinning hall, she had arranged the seats personally. Seating herself at one end and Zelda at the other. The princess had of course thought that this was a show of respect, giving her a table head seat. In reality, Marina just wanted her as far away as possible. They had to move a few people closer together to make room for the two extra seats, but everything turned out fine in the end.

"So tell me, why are you here in the first place?" Marina asked the two guests sitting to her left.

Piper looked to Kai, who in turn shook his head.

"Your majesty, I'm afraid that it is not something we can discuss openly." Kai replied setting down his fork.

This caught Marina's attention.

"Please, in the future, just call me Marina. But I am curious at what could be of such importance that you would travel this far to seek help. If it is the archives you seek, they are open to Piper, she knows this." Marina said resting her elbows on the table and covering her mouth with her hands.

"It is not the archives we require. Rather, it is….something of this terra we require to aid us in a mission." Kai said carefully.

Now this caught Naboroou's attention.

"Din's crystal is not to leave this terra outsider." She hissed.

Of course this got everyone's attention causing Kai to groan.

"We don't require any crystal either; we require…..we require your aid Marina." Kai said knowing that he had to be honest while at the same time maintain as much secrecy as possible.

"Me? Why would you require me? There are plenty of Sky Knights in your Atmosian league, are there not?" She asked confused by the request.

This time Piper was the one to answer. "Yes there are, but that is the problem. We require help from….someone outside the Sky Councils jurisdiction in this case." She replied.

"And why might that be?" Zelda spoke up from the opposite end of the table.

Kai was about to answer, but Piper held up her hand stopping him. He shot her a questioning look, but she shot back one of her own that clearly said 'down boy, let me handle this.'

"We require the aid of someone outside the Councils realm of influence because in this particular case, involving them could make the situation worse." She replied.

"Why would alerting the Council have a negative influence?" Link asked, now curious himself.

"Something has come up, something the needs to be…dealt with in a…quiet manner. If the council catches wind of it, then others will as well. You of all people should realize the importance of discretion in delicate matters. Particularly when it comes to things being found that should not." Piper replied.

Of course, there were only five people in the entire hall the understood that remark. Link, Zelda, Impa, Naboroou and Marina. Aside form them; most people were still unaware of some of the specifics behind the start of the seven year war.

Marina closed her eyes deep in thought. _"Could this be what my vision was warning me about? If I refuse, then I don't have to worry about fighting that….thing."_ Even thinking about that horrid dream from last week still made her feel ill. _"But at the same time, if I don't go….then it will just be them against it. Should I warn them? What if that just makes things worse? Blasted vision, all it did was go and make things harder."_ For some strange reason, the thought of tomorrow's tournament came to mind, the fact that it would have to be canceled stilled annoyed her.

But then, an idea formulated. One that would help her, and at the same time allow her some work room with this problem.

Clearing her throat, Marina spoke. "If it is my aid you require, I am afraid that I am unable to comply." Seeing Piper about to speak up, she held up her hand signaling her to remain silent. "While I do know Piper, and I am willing to aid the Storm Hawks, it would be unprofessional of me to aid a complete stranger in such a direct fashion. It is one thing to ask someone of my position for help in the form of supplies or information, but to ask for my direct person to aid you in a mission is a bit much. I would be willing to lend you the desert thieves, excluding myself and Naboroou in this endeavor however. Would that be acceptable?" She asked with an authoritative tone.

Kai shook his head. "I am sorry, but we require someone of Sky Knight grade skills at minimum." Kai replied slightly disappointed, but at the same time understanding. After all, a queen couldn't just up and leave her kingdom whenever she wanted to.

Since Marina's mouth was still covered by her hands, nobody could see her grin. "If that is the case, I am afraid that only leaves you with two options. One is to leave with nothing." She said tossing out a proverbial fishing lure.

"And the second?" Kai asked weighing his options.

"The second is that you can try to gain my favor. In which case I would be able to assist you as you have requested." She replied.

Kai looked to Piper for some form of help.

"Marina, we don't have much time. We only have two more days that we can stay here at best. Is there anything that might be able to persuade you?" Piper asked cautiously.

"As I said, you can try to earn my favor. How long that takes is entirely dependent on you." She replied calmly. _"Like shooting fish in a bucket."_ She thought.

"How would I go about doing that?" Kai asked not liking where this was going.

"Given the timeframe you have stated, you have three options, or rather, three choices from one option. And that would be to pass one of the three trials." Marina answered.

"There is no way that he could pass any one of the trials." Zelda said from her end of the table.

"Oh? Lover boy there passed all three in under a year, and he was what? Ten? I am fairly certain our guest here could pass one in three days." Marina shot back.

"What are the trials?" Kai asked now sure that he had walked into a setup.

"The trials reflect the three goddess of creation, and are used to incur favor from one of the tri-forces current holders. It is forbidden to speak of them until after one is chosen however." Link answered before being shot a death glare by Zelda.

"How am I supposed to pass one if I don't even know what they are?" Kai asked thinking this was some kind of elaborate joke.

"The choices are given, just not the specifics." Darunia said speaking for the first time that night.

"Ok, fine then. If I have a chance at this I might as well go for it." Kai replied before turning to Marina. "What are my choices?" He asked.

Marina's grin became almost sadistic. "Your choices are Wisdom, Courage, or Power. But, keep in mind that once chosen, you are only given a single chance to pass the trial. If you should fail, you will not be given a second chance." She said warningly.

Kai now knew for certain he had been staged. _"I don't like this, one shot is all I get and I'm walking in blind. Which of the three would be the easiest? That's dumb, their trials, none of them would be easy, otherwise she'd owe every peasant in the land her favor."_ That's when he remembered something from earlier that day.

_Flashback_

"_I am terra Hyrule's Sky Knight, as well as one of the keepers of the tri-force, Courage of Nayru. Though she did not tell you, Zelda is one as well, Wisdom of Farore."_

"_Tri-force? I'm guessing that means that there is a third one right?" Kai asked._

"_Correct, that would be me." Marina replied dropping from the front of the group to the middle where Kai had taken up residence._

"_What are you then?" He asked._

_Marina smiled. "Power of Din" She replied before looking at Link and Zelda. "Also the only one that's of any real use in a fight." She added._

_Flashback end_

"_Link said that the trials incur the favor of _one_ of the current keepers of the tri-force, and Marina said that how long it would take to earn her favor depended on me. I don't think she doubted my ability to pass them, but there must be something else."_ It took him a moment, but then it clicked.

"_Of course, the three trials are not for each of the three, Marina said she would help me if I passed _one_ of them, not that I had to pass one for her to help me. She's trying to help me without making it obvious."_ Kai grinned.

"I chose the trial of Power." He stated confidently.

"Lucky guess." Zelda muttered.

"_So, he's got a brain to him at least, let's see about the other two."_ Raising herself up, Marina turned to Impa.

"Impa, you said that you will be unable to compete tomorrow correct?" She asked.

"What?! Your going to have him battle an injured Sage for a test? That's manipulation and you know it!" Zelda shouted slamming her hands on the table.

Marina glared at the woman. "I was not finished, and rest assured his trial will meet the specified requirements." Turning back to Impa, she continued. "As I was saying, you said that you would be unable to compete tomorrow, if that correct?"

The silver haired woman quirked an eyebrow before replying. "That is correct. I suffered several sprains and a fracture when my skimmer crashed during the peahat attack." She replied skeptically.

"Well, I believe I have found a solution to our problem, and a way to prevent the tournament from being canceled." Marina said looking back at Kai.

"Absolutely not!" Zelda roared. "He is not a Sage, nor is he one of the three. He has no claim to the title and is thereby ineligible for competition."

"That is where you are wrong." Marina said smugly. "I check the charter. Someone may compete if they carry one of the Sage's medallions. That is how 'Sheik' is able to compete each year is he not?" She asked using air quotes.

Zelda glared. "You know full well why Sheik competes in my place. As princess of Hyrule, I am unable to compete.

Marina grinned. "And with Impa injured, she is unable to compete. However…." Marina let the statement hang.

"I cannot just give my medallion to someone that drops in. They would be representing terra Kakariko in my place. You know that Marina. What you are requesting is a bit much." Impa replied unhappy with this development.

"Uh, what are you talking about?" Kai asked not understanding a word they were saying.

"Tomorrow is the Sage's Seraphim, a tournament that each terra's Sage competes in. Since they are not allowed to compete in any other tournament, it was created to give them a chance to keep their skills honed, as well as add a bit of color to the Grand Festival." Saria answered.

"So my trial is that I would have to beat all five of you?" Kai asked a bit nervous. He knew that these people were strong. One or two he would still bet on himself, but five?

"Not exactly. There are no teams, and it is not single elimination or round robin. It's free for all." Naboroou said grinning._ "If he does compete, I'll give him a little pay back for the wallet, and then some."_ She thought.

"I don't know." Impa said looking at the boy with more than just a little doubt. "Piper, what would you say?" She asked.

"Hm? Me? Why would you ask me?" She asked slightly startled.

"I'm asking you because I do not know him. You however do. You also know what a Sage is capable of." Impa replied.

Now Piper was facing a dilemma. _"Sure, Kai is strong, but…I've never really seen him in action before, at least not up close. He can do illusions which would mess up a normal fighter. But a Sage is not a normal fighter, their above most Sky Knights as far as ability. Added to that, if Kai was to compete in Impa's place, he would be representing a terra, so if he did poorly then it would reflect badly on them as well."_ She was between a rock and a hard place. One the one hand, she was pretty sure that they would need Marina's help, but on the other, she would be lying if she said yes without a doubt.

Closing her eyes, Piper took a deep breath as several images flashed through her mind. When her eyes opened, all trace of doubt was gone.

"Yes. I am confident that Kai would be able to face a Sage in combat. I am not sure about five at once, but I believe he would do well enough that he would not reflect badly on your terra." She answered.

Impa studied her face for a moment, then reached into a small pouch that she wore on a necklace, and removed a purple crystal that was about the size and shape of a coin. Getting up, she walked over to Kai, and held out the crystal to him in her palm.

Kai knew that his must be the medallion they had spoke of earlier, and that something like this was very important, but when he reached for it, Impa closed her hand. Confused, he looked up at her.

"Let me see your eyes."

It was not a question, nor was it a request. It was an order.

Kai took a moment to solidify his mask as best he could and then looked up directly into her eyes without flinching.

Impa's own eyes narrowed, though it was not in anger, more like she was searching for something. After a few moments, she opened her hand and extended it to Kai.

Without breaking eye contact, Kai reached out and grabbed the crystal. As soon as he did, a small grey spark jumped from Impa to Kai, but only Marina and Piper noticed it.

Impa nodded and returned to her seat.

"Well, now that we have that out of the way, there are a few things you should be aware of Kai." Marina said leaning forward slightly.

Kai, still slightly miffed at being tricked, shot the ruler with a knowing glare, which she ignored.

"First of all, remember, this is a festival, not Mortal Combat. The fights are not to the death. You will cease attacking if one of the participants surrenders, or if they are unconscious. Also, since this is a once a year event, not to mention the only interterra event held each year, try to make it as flashy as possible." Marina said before leaning back.

"Is that all?" Kai asked coolly.

"Oh, no it isn't. There is one last thing. The event is free for all, but there is no rule against temporary alliances, just remember that there can only be a single winner in the end." She said grinning.

After that, the dinner went along, and the guests went their separate ways. Kai escorted Piper to her room before going to his own.

"_Great, I'm down to reserves and the blasted thing starts at high noon tomorrow. I'll need as much sleep as I can get."_ Kai thought as he clutched his stomach. He knew that he shouldn't have pushed himself as far as he had, but he had no other choice. Piper was one of the few people that he considered a friend and not just a comrade. So he felt obligated to cheer her up, not to mention the look on Zelda's face when they entered had made the pain worth it.

It was one of his many little secrets, one that only two people knew of. His illusions actually did take quite a bit out of him, even something as small as a change in clothing was draining on him if done for several hours. To make himself and Piper look like completely different species for eight hours had forced him to use his shadow crystal, which in turn drained him even further, to the point of causing him physical pain.

As Kai closed the door to his room, he stumbled to his bed, and rolled over, pulling the covers around himself. Shaking and twitching in pain, he saw out of the corner movement, but was too weak to focus on it. The next thing he saw was something small and purple being placed on his pillow, something that vaguely resembled a small stuffed bird.

Saria gave a sad smile before leaving the room, and closing the door behind herself.

"_I hope he finds what he's looking for, he takes on so much, yet he takes nothing for himself. I don't think he can go on much longer like this."_ She thought.

End Chapter 14

AN: Ok, I want you to know now that Kai will NOT kick the snot out of all five of the other Sage's. He is actually slightly weaker than one Sage, let alone five. Also, about the dinner clothes, Piper's outfit is my custom rendition of Midna from Twilight Princess, it's basically the same, just more 'kid friendly' Kai's outfit was based on Byakuya Kuchiki from Bleach, look them up on Wikipedia if you want. Now, for the special news.

This story has…grown to be quite a bit larger than I originally planned it out to be. I've had so many new ideas, but at the same time I want to get the story out and done with so Kai will have a ship that other writers can incorporate into their work, making him a call away instead of a week's travel. So, I have a compromise. This story will take place during the course of six weeks, but if I went into as much detail with them as the previous thirteen chapters, this story would be well over a hundred chapters. So what I will do is this. After the team is assembled, the story will focus on the main highlights, not every detail. But! In the future I will release several smaller stories that focus on those details. These will be around five to six chapters each, and will be released approximately when I can get around to them. Each of these minis will tell you what chapters they take place between, so you can read the story in its complete format once they are all done.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue to read my work, please review! Till next time, Ja Ne!


	15. Kai…Who Are You? Part I

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 15 Kai…Who Are You? Part I

AN: Ok, this chapter is the first of two parts. I'm not going to give away anything….yet. If you want to know whats going on, you'll have to figure it out yourself, or wait for the ending. The only clues I'll give you are to pay close attention to the stories title, summery, and the title for each chapter, they have more meanging than you might think. In the meantime please check out my other stories: Broken Wing, The One Year Flight, Yesteryears, and the ever popular Total Drama Terra! (Not posted on my profile but is listed under favorites). Enjoy! Oh, and uh, there is a bit of info at the bottom, just to clear up some things.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

Special guest star: Kestrel is the property of Arashi21

"Speech"

"_Thought"_

_Sound_

Dark Voice

After flying for a full day, and a good part of the night, Starling could finally see terra Pathalogica coming into view. It wasn't the most inviting thing she had ever seen, but compared to her little discovery on the way there, it seemed like a paradise.

Of course thanks to the locals…attitude towards any and all outsiders, she was forced to fly as low as possible, which was difficult due to the terra being a subtropical one.

"_This is almost as bad as Bogaton."_ She thought. Continuing on, she flew deeper and deeper into the forest, not remembering exactly where Jim's practice was, but after a few hours of searching, she found it. The three story building was cleverly hidden, and unless you knew where it was already, or were a seasoned pilot, there was no way for someone to find it.

She brought the skimmer to a halt and shifted it to land mode, bringing it to a stop as close to the front door as possible.

"_Great, so now what do I do?"_ It wasn't until just now that Starling realized she had several problems to solve, first and foremost being how to reach Rondana without causing a panic. This was a clinic, and the only time someone would usually come knocking on their door at three in the morning was if there was a major problem.

The second problem was that she didn't know Rondana very well. They had only met a handful of times and those were never for longer than a few minutes at best.

"_I suppose I could sneak into her room and try to wake her in person, but from what Kai told me about this terra's civilian population, they probably have a security system, not to mention I don't even know where her room is to begin with."_ She decided that there was no other choice than to simply knock, since the doorbell was broken.

_Knock knock knock_

Crossing her arms, Starling waited for a few moments, just when she was about to knock again the door opened.

"May I help you?"

Starling looked up. "Oh, sorry about that. I was looking for a Miss Almanikets, do you know where I might find her?"

The teenage girl gave her a strange look before replying. "Why do you need to find her?" She asked carefully.

Starling stepped forward so that the candle that the younger woman was holding revealed her face.

"I need to find her for a mission. I'm here on behalf of a friend who is attending to other matters at the moment." She replied.

The younger woman looked her over for a second before her eyes widened. "You're Starling, Starling of the Interceptors right?" She asked before yanking her into the building and locking several locks behind them.

"Eh..yes, I am. Who might you be?" She asked slightly unsettled from being yanked inside.

"Oh, please excuse me. My name is Rondana, Rondana Almanikets, pleased to make your acquaintance." She replied holding out her free hand.

It took a second for Starling's brain to register and understand what the young girl had said. She spoke in a very schooled manor, almost like Harrier, but without the condescending sneer.

"How did you know who I was?" She asked once her brain finally rebooted.

The girl chuckled. "Oh, trust me, you, I would be able to pick you out of a crowd blindfolded. Kai speaks of you often, not to mention your insignia." She replied pointing at Starling's shoulder.

"Formalities aside, did Kai contact you about two days ago?" She asked.

"Ah, that's why you're here. Yes, it was quite strange. He sent a message here the day before yesterday, but I was out and Jim took it. All I could get out of it was he needed help of some sort, and that he would be here in the next few days." Rondana replied.

"Yes, well, I came in his place to speak with you about that." Before she could continue she was cut off.

"He isn't hurt again is he?" It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.

"I told him that I can't keep patching him up like that, it takes too long and we never know when we might get swamped." She said with an edged tone.

"Hurt again? I'm afraid I don't understand." Starling's face showed her confusion, which caused Rondana to sigh and start massaging her temples.

"Every now and then he comes stumbling in here at some godforsaken hour looking like he lost a fight to a blender. I keep telling him that it's not safe to be on this terra with open wounds, but he just ignores me." She sighed.

Starling's face went from being utterly confused to one of deep irritation; it even had a bit of anger flash through it. "How many times has this happened?" She asked. Her tone was sharp enough to cut steel.

Rondana flinched, now knowing why he came all this way to get fixed up. "About once every month or so. Most of the time it's not really all that bad, just superficial lacerations with a sprain or two." She replied uneasily.

"And the _other_ times?" She asked narrowing her eyes.

Rondana bit her lip. "Once he came in with several broken ribs, a fractured arm, and a dislocated shoulder. He looked like he had fallen off a terra. The last time….the last time though was pretty bad." She didn't want to continue, but the older woman's gaze pierced through her.

"_So that's where Kai learned how to do that."_ She shivered before continuing. "Last time…he almost didn't make it. Severe internal bleeding, compound fractures across most of his ribs, and I couldn't even count the number of sprains and breaks. Aside from that, nearly every muscle and tendon in his body was completely shredded. I didn't even know who he was when I first saw him." She shuddered at the horrid memory. "He was here for about a week, but when I went to check on him…all I found was a note apologizing for the trouble he had caused, and a small bag of gold. It paid for all the stuff we used to fix him up, and was actually a bit more than he needed to pay, but…I just…I don't like seeing a friend like that." She said shaking her head.

Starling absorbed this and seemed to be analyzing it. "Did he…ever tell you _how_ he got any of these injuries?" She asked.

Rondana shook her head. "Let's go talk somewhere else; I don't want to be standing any longer than I have to, it's been a long day." She said leading the older woman into the clinics din.

"Would you like something to drink? Tea perhaps?" She asked still a bit shaken.

"No, I'm fine. But could you.." She didn't have to ask. Rondana nodded her head and sat down across from her.

"Whenever I would ask him, he would say that it was nothing to worry about. I don't know what he was doing, or even where he was." She then paused to recollect herself. "Half the time he has some kind of poison in his system, and almost every time it's something I've never even seen before. I've had to come up with several anti-venoms specifically because of him, and I had to make sure the original samples were all incinerated."

"Exactly with kind of toxins are we talking about?" Starling asked.

Rondana scoffed. "You name it. Neurotoxins are rare, but he's brought in at least two. All of them are nasty though, nothing I would ever want to see in a single patent, let alone an epidemic. I just can't figure out where he's at that he would come across this stuff. I've even had Piper check the Atmosian archives. Only a few of the poisons were listed and they were categorized under crypto."

"Crypto?" Starling asked never having heard the word.

"Crypto, it means unconfirmed, mythical, fairytale, take your pick. Added to that his injuries are almost always caused by some sort of…animal." She said slouching back.

Seeing Starling's face, she continued. "The lacerations usually are patterned, two, three, five, or seven paralleled. Meaning they were caused by a tooth or a claw. I actually have a small collection of leftovers from his visits if you would like to see them." She offered.

"If you wouldn't mind." Starling replied.

The teen girl got up and Starling followed her.

When they reached the actual clinic area, Rondana pulled out a small box from one of the cabinets, and opened it.

Starling's face paled.

Inside was an assortment of fangs and claws. While some were intact, the majority were broken off at the top. They both knew what it meant, something had bitten Kai, and he pulled free, breaking the tooth in the process.

Starling felt a mixture of anger and sickness pass through her, while Rondana, having been subjected to this for over a year just felt anger.

"Starling, he's going to get himself killed one of these days. He should have died a year ago for cripes sakes!" She shouted pulling a particularly nasty looking fang from the box and holding it up in her pale hand.

"See this? I had to get Jim to pull it out because it was stuck in his femur, HIS FEMUR! What is he fighting out there that can bite through bone like a vanilla wafer?" She asked dropping the offending object back into the box before continuing.

"I can only deal with so much; I can only patch somebody up so many times knowing full well that next time he might come back even worse, if he even does come back at all. You've got to talk some sense into him, lord knows I've tried." She said shaking, whether in sadness or anger even she didn't know.

"I…I had no idea." She said turning to look at the clearly distraught doctor.

"It still doesn't even make sense." She said after having calmed down.

Starling looked at the box one last time before shuddering and turning back to Rondana. "What doesn't make sense?" She asked, still trying to process this latest turn of events.

"In the past…I have found several chips and flakes of metal in his wounds, which I know were caused by some sort of weapon. But that doesn't explain everything. He's had burns and scorches from crystal weapons as well as fire and acids, in addition to gouges and wounds from teeth and claws, but it still doesn't explain the muscle and tendon damage. At first I thought it might have been caused by poison, but none of the toxins that I have extracted from him ever proved to do anything of the like. The only correlation I could find is that the worse off he is when he shows up, the more likely he is to have that damage."

At this, Starling's eyes narrowed in anger.

"_Rose."_

"I think I might have an idea as to its cause. That aside, he has requested that you aid him in a mission, would you be able to do so?" Starling asked while filing this new information away and making sure to label it open A.S.A.P.

Right before Rondana could answer however, they both felt something press against their necks.

"Heartbreaking," said a voice from behind them. "Now, mind telling me where he is? I hate to waste time, and you girls look like your talking about something important, so if you would please, tell me where the coward is hiding?"

Both tried to turn their heads, but as soon as they did the voice spoke up again.

"Ah-ah-ah, you wouldn't want my hands to slip now would you?" It asked again.

"_Who is she? Her voice doesn't sound familiar, but there can't be but a handful of people that could get the drop on me. I need to be care...wait a minute, that isn't even a blade."_ Starling shifted her weight just slightly, ready to counter attack whoever it was.

"If you're looking for Jim, he's upstairs second door on the right." Rondana offered meekly.

"Oh thanks a lot, a real team player you are!" Jim shouted switching on the lights.

"Oh like you wouldn't have sold me out?" She fired back.

"Oh would you two shut up!?. Do you really think I'd be here for some worthless doctor? I'm looking for bigger game." She turned back to starling. "You said his name not long ago, and that skimmer parked outside has his stench all over it. Now tell me, where is Kai?" She asked tightening her hold on the two.

"_She's after Kai? What for? He hasn't done anythi..or…or has he…."_ It hurt her, deeply. Kai had always told her everything when they were growing up, and while it was true things had been a bit rocky between them lately, she never would have imagined him keeping anything this big away from her.

"Who are you?" Rondana asked swallowing a lump in her throat.

"Tch! Like it matters. Look, just tell me where he's hiding and nobody gets hurt." She replied.

"_I don't care who she is, Kai is still my friend, and he is still my apprentice."_ Starling's eyes narrowed in anger. The last hour had been taxing on her already worn emotional mask.

Now was not the time to cover.

Now was the time to vent.

Letting lose a war cry, Starling rammed her elbow into the attackers solar plexus (stomach area) making her drop back. Without wasting time she followed though with a rising palm to her chin.

"I don't know who you are, and frankly, I don't really care. But no one threatens my friends and gets away with it." Starling pulled her nun chuck from its holster and went on the attack.

The stunned girl looked up just in time to see the attack coming and raise her weapons to block.

"You…you will pay!" Starling roared and pushed down on the younger girl. Since she was taller and a bit bigger, this meant she had the advantage.

The attacker knew she was in trouble, her information only mentioned two doctors in this building, nothing about a Sky Knight grade body guard.

"Grrrr…how did you know I was coming here?" She asked.

Starling brought up her knee and slammed it into her stomach as a response. "I didn't. You're the one that came in here and attacked us." She added.

The attacker, who they now could see was a young woman, probably in her late teens, tried to get up and counter attack.

This did not go unnoticed to Starling who charged and rammed her into the wall with enough force to make her drop her weapons.

"Now tell me, who are you and what do you want with Kai?" She asked holding her by the neck with one hand.

Rondana and Jim, who had been frozen still now came up behind Starling, flanking her sides.

Looking up, the girl stared at Starling for a moment, completely silent.

Then, she broke out into a dry humorless laugh.

This irritated Starling, who was already in a foul mood. "What's so funny?" She asked slamming the would-be attacker against the wall.

"It all makes sense now." She said still laughing. When she finally stopped, she looked up and met Starling's glare with ease.

"I come looking for Kai, and who else should I find than his little Crush Girl?" She answered mockingly.

"Who are you?" Rondana asked ignoring the remark.

The woman's eyes narrowed. "Trust me, the less you know, the better off you are." She replied.

Starling shoved her into the wall yet again. "I asked you a question. Now tell me who are you, and why are you after Kai?" She asked losing her last shred of patience.

"Well, since you asked _so_ nicely." She said sarcastically. "My name is Kestrel, and my business with Kai is my own." She replied.

Not liking this response, Starling shoved her again. "Now you listen to me, and you had better listen well. I don't care who you are, if you have any business with Kai, than you have business with me."

"Aww how sickeningly sweet. I think I'm going to have a cavity, if I don't puke first!" Kestral shot back.

"Allow me, if you will?" Jim said producing a small needle and a large grin.

"What's that? A flu shot?" Kestrel scoffed.

"No, it's sodium pentathol, also known as truth serum." He said with a grin.

"Oh no, your no-"

Too late.

"How long does it take to work?" Starling asked, still holding the teen against the wall.

"Hmm not long, a few minutes and she should be singing like a canary." Jim replied tossing the needle into the trash.

"Alright, let's try this again shall we? Who are you, and why are you after Kai?" Starling asked.

"Oh, go to…"

The girl's head slumped and rolled to the side before rolling back up to glare at the trio. "My name…is…Kestrrel….one L…." She answered in a daze before her head rolled back and bumped against the wall.

"Why were you after Kai?" Rondana asked slowly.

Once again, it took a minute for her head to roll up and look at them. Hes…got a…big…price…on his…head…." She answered before once again slumping.

"Great, she's a bounty hunter." Starling sighed.

At this the girl looked back up with a rather annoyed expression on her face. "I…prefer the term…freelancer…" She said.

"Same difference." Jim snorted.

"Yeah…about the same…difference… between you…and a…competent… doctor…" Kestrel replied with a taunting smirk.

"Who put a bounty on Kai's head? What did he do?" Rondana asked the one question she knew Starling couldn't.

At this all she did was laugh tiredly.

"Same…people…as…last…time..." She said laughing.

Starlings eyes widened and she released Kestrel, who promptly fell on her butt.

"Starling?" Rondana shook the older woman's shoulder. "Starling? What is she talking about? What bounty? What's going on?" Rondana asked confused.

Starling could barely hear anything, the sound of her own blood blocked out everything else. It thundered in her ears like a gathering storm.

Jim, while not understanding exactly what was going on, knew that it would be a good idea to leave the room.

Rondana just stood there confused, and watched as Starling's hands began to shake and clinch into fists.

"Those rats….I can't believe they would stoop to this low. Is this how petty they really are?" Starling asked while pure rage seethed from her every pore.

"Who? Who is it?"

Starling looked over at the now trembling teen she had come for in the first place and calmed down, mostly. "It's not something you need to worry about, not now anyway. If you're going to help on this mission, go pack anything essential you might need. Kai has a storehouse of supplies, but he doesn't have everything." She responded.

Rondana nodded once and quickly ran to her room.

Once she was out of the room, Starling turned back to the young woman lying on the floor. "So you're Kestrel. Kai told me about a bounty hunter that chased him halfway across Atmos four years ago, one that used tonfa if memory serves. The only one that matched that description at the time was you, but I never managed to track you down back then, and here you are now."

The girl looked up at her with a rather bored expression on her face.

"I know for a fact that the bounty on Kai expired three years ago. The council can't lay a hand on him, so tell me the truth, who put a price on his head hmm?" She asked nudging the girl with her foot.

The drugs effect, now having worn off, allowed her to return to her normal speech pattern.

" Tch! So what if it expired? You think that matters to them? The council itself can't touch him, but the council members still can. Besides, it's personal too. He still owes me a skimmer. And by _a_ skimmer, I mean _my _skimmer… " She snorted.

"Umm, I have everything that I'll need. Shouldn't we leave now?" Rondana asked poking her head through the doorway.

Starling gave one last glare at Kestrel, an almost telepathic warning not to follow them, before letting Rondana lead her to the exit.

"We need to hurry. If she found us, things are worse than I thought." Starling said strapping Rondana's two suit cases to the skimmer's sides.

"Is…is Kai in trouble?" Rondana asked as she climbed onto the skimmer.

"I wish I could tell you no, but I…I just don't know. For now, all I can say is that he is safe. For how long however, I cannot." She replied as she climbed onto the 'black beast' as she had dubbed it and revved the engines to take off.

Back inside the clinic, Kestrel climbed to her feet, slightly wobbly, but standing nonetheless.

"Geez, that stuff makes you feel grogy…" she said as she held her head, still spinning slightly from the effects of the injection. When she finally got to her feel and the world stopped spinning around her, she reached inside her pants pocket. "Ugh! I can't believe I took all that just so they would lead me to Kai…" Kestrel grinned as she pulled out a small device from her pocket. "Heh, lead me right to payday crush girl! It's high time I finally got my big score…and maybe even give crush girl a little payback!"

"Oh, you have got to…I can't believe this!"

Kestrel looked at the device. It was busted…she had guessed it was when Starling had thrust her against the wall…

"Aggh! I was so close this time too... I'll just have get the darn thing fixed I guess." With a sigh, Kestrel climbed onto her own skimmer and took off for her own base. Before flying out of site, she looked back toward the terra

"Don't you guys go anywhere…especially you Kai." she said with a mischevious grin. "I'll be right back…"

Jim, having seen that the coast was now clear closed the door and locked all the locks before nailing a few boards up as well.

"Hmm, I wonder what's going on here?" A lone figure had watched with keen interest the events of the night. Needless to say, one particular person's presence immediately grabbed his attention, while another reminded him of work he still had yet to do.

"Oh well, you know what they say, birds of a feather." He said before jumping off the side of the terra.

"Fly together" He squawked taking off into the early morning sky.

End Chapter 15.

AN: Ok, I'm not trying to make my readers tear out their hair, so I'll tell you right now, grand total there is only one OC in this story that I own, and that is Kai, Myna is listed as my property because she is mine and may or may not appear later. But as of now, Kai is the ONLY oc in this story that is mine. Also, there are three, count them THREE unknown characters in this story, there will be NO OTHERS! This is not a soap opera with a mostly unknown cast. Oh and look for the next chapter to be up in a few days or so, till then Ja Ne!


	16. Kai…Who Are You? Part II

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 16 Kai…Who Are You? Part II

AN: Ok, this is the second chapter of the two part Kai who are you? Minarc. It will go into a bit more detail to explain some of what Rondana has been dealing with for the past year, not all of it, but a good portion of it. I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

All members of the Rock Hearts belong to Mysgrl7

Shadow smiled as terra Aladates came into view.

"_It's been awhile, I can't wait to see Tigger again!"_ She thought. That's when she noticed something strange.

The lights on the landing strip started blinking, and then one set that lead to a hanger turned off completely.

"Huh, that's weird; I wonder what's going on? Do they want me to land there or something?" Shadow asked before remembering that she had left Griffy and Radarr back at Kai's base.

"_I wonder what their doing now? Probably taking a nap or something."_

"Squawk!" (You cheated!")

Radarr grinned and held out his hand pointing at the cards that lay before him, four kings and an ace.

"_Oh well, lets see how Tigger's doing."_ Shadow put the skimmer into a dive and switched it to land mode. Sure enough, the hanger that's lights had gone out earlier, now had both doors open wide, but there were no lights on inside.

"Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello! Hello!" Shadow's voice echoed throughout the empty hanger. She heard a grinding noise coming from behind her and turned to look back.

"AHH! Their going to lock me in!" Shadow tried to turn the Red Streak around, but by the time she did it was too late, the doors had closed and she was now in complete darkness.

"What's going on? The Rock Heats have never done anything like this before, have they been." She was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Kai! Where are you?! Are you ok!" The voice echoed throughout the hanger, surprising Shadow.

"Tigger?! It's me! Shadow!" Her voice echoed back.

"Shadow? What are you doing here? Is Kai ok? Did he get hurt?" The lights then came on nearly blinding Shadow.

"He's not here, what's going on, what's up with the super spy act?" Shadow asked in confusion. "Wait a minute, why did you think I was Kai?" She asked pointedly.

"Oh uh…nothing, never mind, hey look at the time, shouldn't you be getting oh…somewhere else?" Tigger asked nervously.

"What is going on here? Tigger, I thought we were friends, why are you trying to get rid of me?" She asked somewhat hurt by her friend's actions.

Tigger sighed. "Look, it's not that I'm not happy to see you, its just…complicated, trust me, you don't want to know."

"Aw no, no, I have spent two out of the last three days flying, I can't even feel my butt anymore because of the stupid seats. I want to know what's going on, and why everyone is acting so weird lately. What's going on with Kai and why does it have everyone so jumpy?"

"Sshhhh!" Tigger covered her friend's mouth with one hand. "Don't say his name that loud, look, things are just…complicated right now. He should be arriving any day now, you can ask him yourself, but I can't say anything unless he gives the go ahead." Tigger said looking around uncomfortably.

"He's not even going to be back for three days, that's why I'm here." Shadow said now getting annoyed.

"What? Your…no…no you're not Shadow!" Tigger pulled out a blocker stone and slammed it into Shadow's head, promptly knocking her to the ground.

"OOWW! What the heck is wrong with you! Tigger! It's me, Arabella." Shadow said rubbing her sore head and rear at the same time.

Tigger's eyes grew large, and then started to fill with tears. "He promised…he promised that you wouldn't be part of this, that's why we agreed to help him in the first place!" Tigger was almost historical; her breathing was reduced to shallow gasps.

"TIGGER! WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Shadow shouted not only confused, but now slightly scared.

Tigger stopped and looked at her in confusion. "But…how can…how can you be here in Kai's place…and not know about?" Before she could finish, Shadow cut her off.

"Look, Kai and Piper went to terra Gerudo to see if they could get Marina to help us out. That left me and Starling at his base with three days to kill. She suggested that it would save a lot of time if we split up and went to get you and Rondana while they were away. NOW TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!" She shouted.

Tigger's eyes widened. "No…oh man…man oh man I messed up big time." Her tone started off light, barely above a whisper, but it gradually grew in volume and urgency. "Look, Shadow, just…just forget I said anything ok?"

Shadow's jaw dropped. "You seriously expect me to just drop something like this?" When she saw Tigger give her a hopeful, yet rueful smile, she couldn't help but sputter.

"You…you have got…no..no this cant be right. No way am I dropping this." Shadow grabbed her friend by the shoulders and looked her square in the eye. "Tell me what in the name of the seven skies is going on here. What is the big hush hush about Kai? What's going on? And what were you talking about not involving me?" She asked now clearly annoyed.

Tigger looked away. "Look, just, drop it ok. I'm not going to tell you, only Kai can, end of discussion. Believe me; it's for your own good." She said in a neutral tone.

"Do I have to get Aladd to tell me? Because I can get him to talk very easily if I have to." Shadow threatened.

Tigger laughed. "I don't think so. Kai put the fear of death in him. He won't say a thing to anyone." Having calmed down, she looked up at her friend. "Please, I…I don't want you to get involved in this. You already have enough problems as is now. Just trust me on this; it's nothing you want any part of." Tigger said grabbing her friends arm and dragging her into the Roc Hearts base.

"Tigger…I am getting sick and tired of people skipping around when I ask questions about my friends." She replied.

Tigger looked up to her again and smiled sadly. "All that I can tell you is that he's trying to help in every way that he can. He wants….he wants this war to be brought to an end as quickly as possible…and is willing to do whatever it takes." She said in a sad tone.

Shadow sighed, and stopped, causing her to nearly have her arm ripped out of its socket by Tigger.

"Tigger…I…I can't. I need to know. What's going on? Why is everyone so…jumpy? Kai hasn't done anything wrong, but people…why is everyone treating him like some kind of criminal?"

"Because he is one, that's why." A cold voice spoke out from the doorway.

"Mom! Kai is not a criminal! He has done nothing wrong; he hasn't hurt anyone…on our side, and is just trying to help! Why can't you see that?" Tigger shouted angrily.

Tigger's mother ignored her daughter's remark and approached Shadow. "You want to know what your little 'friend' is doing that has everyone so up and jumpy? You want to know why it is that Aerrow, and every other Sky Knight that has an ounce of honor treats him like the plague?" She asked raising an eyebrow.

"Mom, don't even think about it. We have a deal, just leave it be." Tigger growled.

"_What is going on here? Tigger's never stood up to her mom like that…well…not frequently anyways."_ Shadow was more than a bit disturbed by this.

"Correction, _you_ and the _Rock Heart's_ have a deal with him. I do not. If the child wishes to know, then it is her right." Tiggers mother replied coolly.

"Slandering someone when he's not even here, that low even for you." The three turned to see Aladd standing in the doorway.

"Aladd? What are you?" Shadow was cut off.

"Slander? How is telling the truth slander? Besides, if they are 'friends' then he would have told her already." Tigger's mom fired back.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Shadow shouted having lost any semblance of patience.

Tigger's mom looked down at Shadow. "Your little friend has gone and made quite the mess of himself.

"Mom" Tigger warned.

"He has made several interesting career choices as of late." She continued, ignoring her daughter.

"Career choices?" Shadow asked slightly confused.

"Yes, bad ones I might add." She continued.

"Mom! Stop it; he isn't even here to explain it to her!" Tigger shouted.

"You see, your little friend, has become quite foolish. In seeking to end this war, he has made some…unwise choices in friends and business deals."

"MOM! STOP IT!" Tigger glared and started marching towards her mother. "He's doing what he thinks is in everyone's best interests, what those senile old fools of the council wouldn't even think of trying. Leave him alone!"

"Those "fools" are doing what is in our best interest. They are looking out for us. They have guided Atmos for nearly a hundred years. Kai is a foolish, inexperienced, naïve child that is going to cause more harm than good." Her mother said sharply.

"Your right mom, they have lead Atmos through nearly a hundred years, a hundred years of peace! They have no clue what their doing, or have you forgotten that Cyclonia controls ninety percent of the crystal reserves, along with nearly eighty percent of the entire planet? They haven't done a thing except draw a line and stick their heads in the sand! At least Kai is TRYING to push them back, which is more than I can say for the Council!" Tigger roared.

Shadow watched the mother and daughter exchange. While she didn't understand exactly what this had to do with Kai, she was able to piece together a few things.

"_Ok, so Kai is doing something that the Council doesn't like, Tigger and the other Rock Hearts are helping, and for some reason Tigger wants to keep me out of it. But why? I'm not exactly on good terms with….oh no. Kai…you didn't."_ Shadow looked up at the two, eyes wide in fear. "What did he do?" Shadow asked, hoping that she was wrong.

Tigger's mother looked back at her, and answered her question in a tone so cold that it froze the poor girl's heart.

"Your little friend is a wanted man Shadow. He has been found guilty of treason, conspiring with the enemy, and providing comfort and aid to enemy forces among other things. He is also a person of interest and is wanted for questioning in regards to a break in at the Council Archives. He is a dangerous person that should be locked away for a very long time."

Aladd glared at the woman. "He has also helped us out several times if you recall. He even helped you unless you have forgotten."

At this the woman shook her head. "He was always on the line, undecided. It just took a while for his true colors to show. He is a traitor, nothing more, nothing less." She said leaving the three teens to themselves.

Shadow's eyes began to water ever so slightly.

"No." She whispered.

"Kai…he…he is not…he's not a traitor." Shadow couldn't help but see several images flash through her head, memories from the short period of time she had known him.

"Shadow…I…I'm…sorry." Aladd said looking the other way.

"_No! It's not true! Kai is my friend! He…he accepted me for who I am….he doesn't care who my father is, he's always been there for me in the past. He's been there for anyone that needs him…he…he wouldn't betray us!"_ Shadow shouted mentally.

"I'm…sorry you had to find out this way." Tigger said walking up to her friend.

Shadow looked up, tears now streaming down her face freely. "It's not true. It can't be!"

"I'm afraid it is, but not in the way you're thinking of." Shadow gasped when she felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulder.

Looking up, she saw one of the few people that she had come to trust over the years.

"Kurk! It…it can't be true! Kai is not a traitor! I know he isn't!" Shadow was about to continue, but the large man stopped her.

"I think we should discuss this someplace else." He then turned to Tigger and Aladd. "Go get her something to eat, there should still be some breakfast left over." He said leading the distraught girl to Tigger's quarters.

Several minutes later, after having breakfast shoved down her throat. Kurk shooed Aladd out of the room and sat down beside the girl. Tigger did likewise, sitting on her other side.

"Shadow, it is true that Kai is wanted for treason, but you're also right in that he is not a traitor." Kurk said looking down at the girl as she wiped her face with a sleeve.

Tigger then spoke. "Since we first met Kai, about a year ago, he…informed us about some of his…activities. The council has never liked him….but….well…he has kinda jumped the line a few times."

Shadow looked over at her friend, eyes still a bit wet. "What do you mean jumped the line?" She asked with a sniffle.

"He has…made a few alliances that the Council frowns upon. Namly the Murk Raiders." Kurk replied.

"But…he lives in terra Deep. It's not like he could just avoid them all the time." Shadow said in Kai's defense.

"Well…that's one thing, but…" Tigger looked at Kurk, who nodded, telling her to go ahead. "Shadow, he doesn't just deal with the Murk Raider's….he is one."

Shadow heard something break in the back of her mind.

"But he had a reason! It's not like he went and did it without thinking." Tigger said trying to reassure her friend. "He did it so that he could try and form an alliance between them and us. He's trying to help us Shadow! Don't think for a second that he has….you know."

"Shadow, it is true that your friend is a Murk Raider now, but he is still your friend. All those charges stem from him trying his best to get us help, help that we need but the Council is too stubborn to accept. Whether it be proving to the Murk Raiders his skill by breaking into the central treasury, or giving medical supplies to some of the less hostile tribes of terra Pathalogica. All of it was done in good faith and hope that it would buy us allies and support." Kurk added.

Shadow looked between the two, and lowered her head. "If that's the truth, then why didn't he tell m..us. Why didn't he tell his friends? We would have helped him if we could." Shadow said sadly.

"That's the exact reason he didn't." Kurk said getting up. "He knew that all he had to do was ask, and you would have helped him. But he didn't want you to get into any trouble. Same for all his friends. That's why you were left out of the loop, along with Piper, Starling, all of the Absolute Zero's, and everyone else that he calls a friend. He didn't want anyone to pay for his actions other than himself."

"He's right Shadow. Kai didn't even want to ask for our help. The only reason he did was because he had no other choice at the time." Tigger said scooting closer to her friend and putting an arm around her shoulder.

Kurk then answered the unasked question. "Since we have so many members of our squadron, it's fairly easy to hide someone within our ranks. When the heat gets to be a bit too much for him, Kai will sometimes come hid out here until things calm down a bit."

"Excuse me, but have you seen oh! Why are you still here?"

Kurk, Tigger and Shadow turned to see Tigger's mom standing in the doorway.

"Oh I almost forgot!" Shadow wiped her face and retrieved the message crystal that Starling had given her and held it out to Kurk. "I'm here to pick up Tigger." She said quickly looking the other way to avoid said friends mother's gaze.

"Absolutely not. I will not have my daughter out on some mission. You can tell Aerrow that Tigger will not be." She was cut off however when the message crystal activated and a six inch image of Starling appeared hovering an inch or so above it.

"Greetings. I am assuming that if you are watching this, then you are Kurk Secondstep of the Rock Hearts. As you might have guessed by now, I am Starling of the Interceptors. I have sent a messenger to you in order to retrieve one of your squadron members, you chief mechanic to aid in a mission that I am currently undertaking. This mission is of the upmost importance, and, with myself being involved, it should go unsaid that it is classified so I am unable to give any further details for fear that this message be intercepted. I ask that you allow the messenger to retrieve the individual I have requested, and that you not interfere. I thank you for you time, and hope that you will not force me to find a replacement. Starling out."

With that the message died and the crystal shattered into a million pieces.

"Woah! That was an A-grade messenger crystal, she must be serious." Tigger said looking back up at her mother.

"Well Tigger, looks like you've really got yourself something here." Kurk said looking at the small girl proudly.

"I still don't think it's a good idea. Even more now than before." Tigger's mom replied.

"Uh..mom…Starling's like..one of the top Sky Knights in Atmos. If she needs help, I think it's important." Tigger replied.

"How do we even know it was real? That could have just been someone with a croma crystal for all we know.

"I don't think so." Shadow said pointing at the ground.

Everyone looked down and saw that the messenger crystal's shards which had fallen to the floor had formed the Interceptor's insignia.

"Yeah..I'm pretty sure that it was real." Tigger said smiling at the thought of a big mission.

"What is the mission?" Kurk asked Shadow cautiously.

"The mission? No idea. Starling's pretty tight lipped. All I know is that she told me to get Tigger cause we will need a mechanic, and that we leave in three days, as of yesterday." She answered.

Kurk stroked his beard in thought. "Well…I guess she is in capable hands….who else will be there?" He asked.

"Who else? Well, there's me, and Starling, she went to see Rondana, and then there's Piper and.." She stopped when she was about to say Kai's name.

Flashback

"_Let me get this straight, you want me, ME, to fly by myself to terra Aladates, and somehow convince Tigger's mom, and squadron, to let her go off on this mission?" Shadow asked as though it were a bad joke._

"_Exactly. If they won't allow it, try this." She handed a messenger crystal to the girl before continuing. "If they won't allow her to leave willingly, show them that crystal, but make sure to leave Kai's name out of things until you leave. Remember, we are trying to keep a low profile, so whatever you do, make sure that Aladd doesn't find out about it." She added._

Flashback end

"Who else?" Tigger's mother asked sternly.

"Well, Piper was with us, but she went to terra Gerudo to see if Marina would help out, I haven't seen her in a while. We are supposed to all meet up in two days, beyond that, I can't say." Shadow looked away.

"I'm going." Tigger said calmly.

"You still need my permission to go Tigger, we've been over this before." Kurk replied.

"Oh come on! If Starling is asking for help, then it must be important, besides, it sounds like fun. Just us girls." Tigger said laughing.

Shadow couldn't help but laugh as well, but for a completely different reason._ "Kai, next time, you should plan things a little better."_ She thought.

"Alright, you can go. But I want you to promise me that if things go south you will call for help." Kurk said warningly.

Tigger hopped up and held her hand over her heart, (and her other behind her back with crossed fingers) don't worry, I promise."

"Somehow that doesn't inspire much in the way of confidence." Kurk said with a groan.

"Ok, that's nice and all, but we really have got to be going now. Tigger, just bring the essentials, we've got plenty of extra stuff back at base." Shadow said getting up to leave the room.

Several hours later, the two were speeding down the runway and taking off into the sky.

Tigger was excited about the prospects of the upcoming mission, never having been picked specifically before.

Shadow on the other hand, was deeply troubled by her recent discoveries.

"_Kai…who are you really…..are you…are you my friend? Are you still the same person that stopped me back then? Or have you always been this way? Is this your true self?"_

End Chapter 16

AN: I don't know, this chapter just seemed a bit rushed to me. I hope it's alright; I really do like Shadow's character, as my previous work should show, but sometimes I have a hard time keeping her IC. I'm not trying to make some big conspiracy story here, just trying to show how a character can have quite a bit more depth to them than what is seen on the surface. Anyways, look forward to the next chapter, Star Wars Nut, I know you'll love it.

Next chapter,

ROAR! Scion vs. Sage!

Till next time, Ja Ne!


	17. ROAR! Scion vs Sage!

Winds of Change

Winds of Change.

Chapter 17: ROAR! Scion vs. Sage!

AN: Ok, two things, first, as you can see, the first of the big battles is now here. Note the word _first_. Yes, that means that this story will have _several_ big battles. This is just a little taste of what's to come.

Secondly…there have been several…inquiries as to my inspiration for Kai's character. Let me make this very _very_ clear. He is not based on me. Thirty percent of Kai is the original character I created for a discontinued story back in 2001. Thirty percent of his character is derived from Revan, the primary character for the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic series. Another thirty percent comes from Siegfried Schtauffen, the primary and central character of the Soul series made by Namco. The remaining ten percent is based on me, but that is limited to his personality quarks and some of his mannerisms, nothing more. This is why 'geeks' such as me, might recognize certain speech patterns, traits, or even some of his dialog. I do not outright copy however, I always alter it to make it at least somewhat original.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

Kai woke with a groan. Turning over he looked at the nightstands clock.

"_Hm…ten thirty. Still some time left, but I really need to get up."_ Rolling to the edge of the bed, Kai forced himself up as best he could. Every inch of his being was yelling at him in pure anguish, but he had long since learned how to ignore it. Looking down, he did see something that caught his attention.

"What is this doing here? I thought I left it in Piper's room." Kai held up the small purple plush in one hand to examine it. "Huh." After placing it back on the bed, he somehow managed to drag himself to the restroom for a shower.

Nearly an hour later he finally reemerged, and was moving normally. The heat had relaxed his muscles to the point they were only screaming in pain, not agony.

"_If this all works out though, it'll be worth it."_ He cringed changing into his spar flight suite, and set his holster back into place before heading outside.

"Bout time you got up."

Kai spun around and came face to face with the woman from yesterday.

"Impa right? Sorry, I just woke up, and my heads still a bit foggy. Normally I don't sleep in like that." He said grinning.

Impa studied his face for a moment before speaking. "Are you sure that you wish to compete today? If you're not at a hundred percent, then you shouldn't." She said still analyzing him.

"Hey, I'm doing you a favor and you want me to drop out? I'll be fine, besides it's been a while since I had a good fight. I'm actually looking forward to this thing." Kai said popping his knuckles.

"Very well then. I wish you well." Impa said leaving Kai alone in the hall.

"_Geeze, I was starting to actually worry bout that one."_ Kai thought as he made his way to the kitchen, where he found a single (cold) plate of food still at the counter. "Not exactly the best I've ever had, but far from the worse I guess." Kai said as he scarfed down the cold pancakes and bacon.

"Ah, you are the replacement correct?"

Kai turned to answer but nearly fell on his butt when he saw who it was.

"Arygyn! What are you doing here?" Kai hissed.

"Oh just flying around, taking in the sights. I figured it would be nice to see you get beat to a pulp by somebody aside from me for a change." He said dryly leaning against the wall.

"Whatever, why are you even here? Don't you have some baby's to take milk bottles from?" Kai asked clearly irritated.

"So that's how you treat someone that's trying to help you out? Someone that has gone through painstakingly long hours training you and even trying to give you a chance with." Kai cut him off before he could finish.

"Finish that sentence and I will see to it that you're inane little game of picking on my life is brought to a permanent end. And don't think for a second I'm bluffing. I've gone nearly a full year without anyone's help; I have no trouble going the rest of my life without it." Kai said darkly.

Arygyn just shook his head sadly. "If someone is misguided in their beliefs, they will only bring harm to those they wish to protect." Seeing Kai's eyes narrow even further, Arygyn continued. "All else aside, you need t be careful. Each of these Sgae's are at least as strong as you when you're at your best, but watch out for the white one with the bow. That will be your biggest threat."

"I know how to deflect arrows; I've had plenty of practice unless you forgot." Kai replied half board.

"I'm serious boy. That bow doesn't fire regular arrows. They are charged with light energy, you know, as in the stuff the sun give's off lots of." Arygyn's tone was that of a parent scolding a small child.

"I'm not a vampire you know. Unless you haven't noticed, I'm not a pile of ash, despite the amount of time I have spent outdoors." Kai shot back.

"Hey, I'm just warning ya, don't blame me when you get beat down like a rug out there." Arygyn said before transforming into a bird, pecking Kai on the head and flying off.

"One of these day's I'll find a way to turn you into a pair of crispy chicken wings. Then we'll see whose boss." Kai muttered as he stormed outside.

The sun was bright, too bright in his opinion, but he had little choice in that matter. Scion or not, no one was that powerful. He decided to make his way to the coliseum as quickly as possible in hopes of getting this day over with as quickly as possible. He was still hurting from yesterdays little power drain, not to mention the weird dreams that had plagued him all last night.

"_What was up with that? All night I was watching Starling cry while flying my skimmer. And why was she blaming me? I haven't done anything to intentionally hurt her since I was eleven, and that was Harrier's fault."_ Kai shivered. _"And why was I dreaming about Shadow crying? I've always made sure to keep her safe." _ Kai hated the thought of his friend crying for any reason, but the thought of him doing something to make them cry like that made him feel ill.

"You better hurry up! We'll be late!"

Kai looked down to see Saria looking up at him with a beaming grin on her face.

"Hey, what's up with the new outfit?" Kai asked playfully.

"What? You thought I would fight in front of six terra's populations in my flight tunic?" Saria asked with an impish grin on her face.

"What? Ya'll went and got your Sage on or something?" Kai asked laughing as he broke into a run.

"At least we don't look like biker bums!" Saria shouted back.

It didn't take long for them to reach the gates, but Kai was prevented from entering due to a certain bluenette.

"Where on Atmos have you been? The tournament starts in ten minutes! Marina was about to send out the guards to drag you in here and!"

"Woah woah slow down! I'm here, everything is cool. Don't get all bent out of shape. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. I'm the one that has to do all the fighting remember?" Kai said reassuringly.

Piper bite her lip before giving a wistful smile. "Just….don't get too banged up ok? I don't want to have fly your skimmer out of here, that thing scares me." She said trying to lighten things up a bit.

Kai nodded before heading down to the 'bull pin' area he had been assigned.

Inserted AN: Please, don't question the presence of the announcers or the fact that they somehow have microphones; things are just easier that way. BTW, their names are Mike and Tom. (Again, don't ask)

_Trumpets blaring (Like in Robin Hood cartoon)_

"Ladies and gentleman! Welcome to the fifth annual Sage's Seraphim!"

_Crowed cheers_

"We hope that you will enjoy this year's tournament as much as last years."

"That's right Tom, last years tournament will go down in history as the cat fight to end all cat fights, with Naboroou pulling out ahead of Impa, by a hair."

"Hey Mike, do we still have those slow motion replays?"

_Trumpets blaring_

"Ok, let's introduce our combatants! Hailing from the forest of terra Kokori, weighing in at fifty three pounds, Sage of Forrest, Saria!"

_Barbie girl music plays_

Saria enters the arena with a wide beaming smile, waving one hand, while holding up an enormous (for her) club over her shoulder with the other.

"_God how I hate that song"_ She thought as she waved.

"From the mountains of terra Death Mountain, weighing in at three hundred and seventy six pounds, ruler, Sky Knight, and Sage of Fire, Daruniaaaaa!"

_Theme from Monster garage_

A large gate lowered, and Darunia calmly walks into the arena, hefting a huge (even compared to him) war mace over one shoulder.

Piper's eyes nearly fall out when she see's the giant's weapon. _"That things bigger than me! Kai I hope you know what you're doing."_

Marina looks over and see's Piper fretting and smiles. "Don't worry, as long as your friend doesn't make him too mad Darunia won't purposely try to hurt him….too badly."

"Next we have the beautiful and ever elegant Ruto! Ruler of terra Zora, and Sage of Water!"

_Japanese Kabuki music plays_

Another gate lowers and Ruto walks out with what appears to be two seventeen inch long, one inch thick daggers, one in each hand. She looks around with a board expression on her face and seems to ignore the cheering crowds.

Kai quarks his head to the side. _"I guess she threatened them to not reveal her weight or something. Why are girls so worried about people knowing what they weigh anyway?"_ Shaking his head, Kai shrugs his shoulders and waits for his call.

"As with every year, Zelda will be unable to participate, however, in her place, bearer of the Light Medallion, and weighing in at one hundred and ten pounds, the ferocious! The deadly! Sheki!"

_Trumpets blaring_

A thin and rather lean young man walks out into the field with a bow and quiver on his back and an epee in hand. He gives a slight bow to the people before walking to the center of the arena with the others. (An Epee is a sword that essentially looks like a four and a half foot long sowing needle.)

"And now, for the moment you have all been waiting for, our returning champion! Weighing in at one hundred and forty pounds, Sage of Spirit, Naboroou!"

_Heavy metal rock music_

Naboroou walks out with a large grin on her face. When she reaches the center of the arena, she holds out her arms to her sides and turns several times.

The crowds cheering got to the point that both Kai and Piper plugged their ears. It was literally deafening.

"_Looks like she's the crowd favorite. I just hope her fans don't try to kill me if I take her out."_ Kai thought now suddenly very nervous.

"Due to injuries received from yesterdays attack, Impa will not be competing."

_Crowd boo's_

"However, that is not to say we are a fighter short. A substitute has been found and will be competing in her place." The announcer said in a mostly dull tone.

Kai snorted at the lack of any introduction, not exactly caring to be the center of attention, but at the same time feeling that he had been slighted, he made note to 'visit' the two announcers at a later time.

The gate lowered, and for the first time, Kai actually got to see the arena.

It was very large, he noted, and though the ground was covered in what looked like at least a foot of beach sand, he saw a large mote of water that surrounded it along the edges. He wasn't too surprised to see several large masses of rock jutting out of the ground; however he was shocked to see several dozen large trees at one end.

Seeing that the others were all standing in the center on a large signet that looked like it was split into six sections, Kai ran out to the one open spot left.

The others didn't even seem to notice him being there, but Kai could definitely tell that they were aware of his presence.

"Begin!"

Kai looked to his sides and noticed that the others had leapt back away from the signet.

Turning to the side, he ducked just before an arrow passed through the space he had occupied.

"_Great, looks like they've decided to take me out first. Better think fast Kai, you need to get out of firing range!"_ His instincts screamed at him.

Jumping back towards one of the rock masses, Kai ducked for cover, dodging several more arrows that he noticed were glowing with what looked like white fire.

"Ok, I don't want any part of those things." Kai said catching his breath.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. There a real pain to pull out."

Kai turned his head slowly, and confirmed his worst fears. Standing no more than a few feet from him, was Darunia.

"Crud."

Piper looked over at Marina. "Does Kai have to win for you to help us?" She asked.

Marina looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. "Not necessarily win. I just need to see proof of his power for him to pass the trial." She replied.

"His power? But Darunia is a monster! He'll get crushed!" Piper shouted.

Marina grinned. "I didn't say his strength, I said his power. There is a difference between the two. Besides, Darunia won't kill him. He might leave the kid in a broken up heap, but he'll still live."

This however does nothing to ease Piper's nerves.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

Kai jumped back just in time to dodge the giant mace as it reduced the boulder they had been hiding behind into gravel.

"Come back here!" Darunia shouted as he charged the teen with a gleam in his eye that, to be honest, scared Kai more than anything short of Starling's cooking.

Pulling his tri-staff around, Kai ducked and brought his staff down on the giants head.

"AAAHH!"

Kai jumped back in pain. The vibrations that had traveled through his staff nearly made him drop to his knees in pain.

"_This guy really is made of rock!"_ Of course, this realization lead to another.

"_I'm screwed."_

Just when Kai had been about to turn tail and run, a shockwave hit the large man and sent him into the wall.

"You just can't stay out of trouble can you?"

Kai turned to see Saria with a large smile on her face.

"Truce?" She asked.

Kai grinned. "You bet."

Kai's eyes went wide as he ducked another arrow that had nearly taken off his head.

"Ok, he needs to go down, now." Kai said turning towards the bow wielding menace.

"Uh…I wouldn't attack he…him if I were you. Naboroou normally does that, just worry about the others." Saria said biting her tongue at the near slip up.

"Ughh."

Both turned to see Darunia getting up from the ground.

"Ok, new plan, you take him, I'll get the others." Kai said running from the area as quickly as he could.

"Smart kid. At least he knows his limitations." Marina said unimpressed so far.

"I think that Kai is still trying to figure out exactly what is going on. He just needs a little time, that's all." Piper said in a hopeful tone.

"Time is not something he has." Marina replied as she slouched back into her throne.

Looking around, Kai saw Ruto standing close to the edge of the arena.

"_Ok, so the fish stays close to water, probably to use as an escape for emergency's, but why are the others avoiding her?"_

Kai knew something was not quite right with the picture. She was wide open, yet not even the archer was trying to hit her.

"Well, hope you don't mind, but" Before Kai could finish, the girl was on him.

Kai ducked the initial assault, but was caught in the stomach with a hard knee thrust.

"_This takes me back."_ Kai thought with a small grin.

Bringing his staff around, he tried to disarm her, not wanting to actually hurt the woman for fear of it being seen as declaration of war.

"_What is up with those daggers? They're crystal powered, I can see them in the hilts, but why doesn't she have them active?"_ Kai thought as she continued to parry his attacks with no apparent effort.

Every attack he launched, she would deflect then counter with her own. High attacks she simply twisted or ducked away from, and all low attacks she hopped over. The only thing he could do was go for mid attacks, which she blocked.

"_Good grief she's flexible. Does she even have a spine?"_ Kai thought as she twisted around to dodge without moving her feet.

Then, his eyes widened.

"Owf!" Kai was sent back on his butt after getting hit by what looked like a dolphin's tail.

"What on Atmos was that?" Kai shouted as he flipped himself upright.

Ruto giggled. "Sorry!" She shouted.

Kai narrowed his eyes and charged the girl again.

Trying diagonal and multi hit slash patterns; Kai hoped that she wouldn't be able to evade them as easily.

Of course, she did. Between the two thick daggers, and the surprisingly resilient fins on her arms, Kai wasn't able to land a single solid blow.

Growling in frustration, Kai brought his staff down in a hard vertical smash, hoping to break through her block.

Ruto crossed her arms into an X pattern with her fins outwards and caught the attack without even flinching.

"Ok, so you managed to block me, but can you still fight?" Kai tried for a heel breaker, but she blocked that by crossing her left leg in front of her right.

"Yes, I can actually." She said with a teasing tone.

Kai then noticed her pushing said leg forward, causing him to struggle to maintain balance. As much as the fact that this small, thin, and in his opinion, frail looking girl had apparently no problem out maneuvering or out muscling bothered him, her grin bothered him even more.

"_This is bad. She's at least as strong as me if not more, and she's faster. But what really sucks is the fact that I know she's holding back."_ Kai thought.

The girl then leaned forward just slightly and turned her head away from Kai for a brief second, before swinging her head around and twisting her body at the same time.

This time, Kai saw it coming.

He still couldn't do anything about it, but at least he saw where the tail had come from earlier.

Apparently, Zora had a dolphin like tail that extended from the back of their heads, but since Kai had only seen her from the front, he hadn't known of this little fact.

The attack came, and hit Kai square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground once more.

"Alright, that was pretty slick the first time you did that. The second time was a mistake." Kai said pulling himself up off the ground.

Ruto just smiled gently, and then spoke. "What are you going to do about it?" She teased.

Grinning, Kai slammed his staff onto the ground, and a large fissure opened up under her.

"AAAAAHHH!" Ruto screamed and ran as fast as she could, but the ground seemed to be following her no matter where she went. "They said NO lethal force!" She shouted.

"But this isn't lethal. It's just a hole in the ground, and gravity is just natural!" Kai shouted back laughing.

Ruto then stopped dead in her tracks and brought out her two daggers to each side, then threw them at Kai as hard as she could.

Kai raised one eyebrow as he ducked. "Was that really the best you had? One shot and you missed." He said slightly haughty. It was then that he noticed two things. First, Ruto was still smiling; the second was that he could hear a strange whistling sound getting louder.

Never one to doubt his instincts Kai jumped to the side just as what appeared to be two circular saws buzzed by him.

"What was that?!" He shouted as he spat out some sand.

Looking up he saw Ruto calmly catch the two saw blades, one in each hand. Grinning, she flipped them closed, revealing that they were in fact the oddly thick daggers from earlier.

"_So their really fans eh? This just got to be a lot more interesting."_ Kai thought.

Looking down he saw that he had almost stepped into the 'fissure' that had been chasing Ruto earlier, nearly giving away the fact that it was not really there.

Not wanting to waste energy, he 'closed' the 'fissure' and charged.

Once again, Ruto dodged everything he threw at her, only to counter attack and punish him.

"_She's not just holding back."_ Kai realized.

"_She's toying with me!"_ Letting out a feral roar, Kai increased his attacks speed and mixed up a few combos to try and throw her off.

Ruto smiled at this point and jumped back to land on the water.

"_She's standing on the water?! How am I supposed to attack that?"_ Kai scowled. He knew that this would not be easy. These 'Sages' were not normal, not by a long shot. For one thing, their scent was different from the norm, not counting the species aspect. Naboroou, despite being a Gerudo, had a scent that was entirely different from the others. It had taken him a while to figure out what the difference was, but when he had, he felt both stupid, and a bit afraid.

The smell, was power.

Power was not just a physical aspect of an individual, it was as much a part of them as their skin, and like any other aspect of a person, it had a scent. And what Kai was able to detect set off a flurry of emotions.

Fear that they were each at least three times his level, and could thus obliterate him with relative ease.

Glee that they were three times his level and could give him a good fight.

And anger that Ruto was not just holding back.

But was actually toying with him.

"You should have taken me down when you had the chance!" Kai shouted as he spun his staff around a few times before slamming it towards Ruto.

"SHADOW WAVE!"

A beam of black and almost purplish red light rushed towards Ruto, who gust grinned before slipping into the water.

"What was that? I've didn't know Kai had a special move." Piper said with wide eyes.

"I thought you said he was your friend?" Marina asked wearily.

"He is, but I don't see him that much. Still, I guess it makes since. He was trained by several Sky Knights." Piper said still in shock.

"Get back up here you coward!" Kai shouted.

Suddenly Kai's eyes widened as a huge tentacle of water rose up out of the moat.

"_Well, now I know why everyone else was avoiding her. She doesn't just live in water, she can manipulate it too. This is bad, if I don't start boosting I could lose, but if I do…"_ Kai didn't have time to think as he dodged the giant tentacle's slamming attack.

"_Great, now I know how those poor moles feel at the carnival."_ Kai thought bitterly. There was no actual pattern to the attacks; they just kept coming, like running through a forest that was collapsing around you.

"You shoud be more careful." A watery female voice called out teasingly.

Kai looked up and saw a second, third and fourth tentacles emerge from the moat and join in with the first one in trying to flatten him.

Ducking, jumping, rolling, and back flipping, he managed to just barely stay a step ahead of the towering water limbs. _"Ok, enough of this. Time to go on the offensive!"_

After ducking the next attack, Kai broke into an all out charge. Of course the other arms tried to hit him, but he was able to dodge them by taking sidesteps at the last second.

"Ruto, it's time for you to chill girl!" Kai shouted as he jumped.

"What is he doing? He's a clean target in the air like that." Marina asked leaning forward.

Piper narrowed her eyes in thought. _"What are you doing Kai? You should know better than to jump, you can't dodge when your in the air."_

The she saw it.

A purple whitish light engulfing his staff.

"_That light! I've seen it before!"_ Piper's mind flashed through her fights with Lark. _"How can he do that?! I thought Lark was the only one with that power!"_ Piper's eyes widened in realization.

Sure enough one of the watery arms tried to swat Kai away like a fly, but before it could hit him, Kai fired a massive white blast from his staff, freezing it in place.

The crowed gasped.

Ice was very rarely seen on terra Gerudo, much less enough to freeze a fifty foot long six foot thick whip of water.

Bringing his staff down, Kai thrust it into the water and let loose a second blast of ice, freezing the entire moat down to the bottom.

Grinning, Kai pulled his staff out and charged for his next target.

"WHAT IN DIN'S NAME WAS THAT?!" Marina shouted, now standing and leaning over the balcony.

Piper too was in a state of shock, but for an entirely different reason. _"Lark is the only person with that power, it must be her in disguise."_ Then Piper shook her head. _"No, Lark is not that stupid. She would never give herself away like that. If it was her, she would have thrown a Blizzard stone into the water or something, not realign her staff crystals structure."_ This did not make her feel any better however since she was now left wondering how Kai was able to use a previously believed unique ability.

"Ok, one down, four to go." Kai said running over to help Saria.

"Why wont you stay down you big meanee!" Saria shouted as she brought her club around for another attack.

"Me? You're the one that threw me into a wall!" Darunia shouted as he brought his war mace down to attack.

Kai watched as the two large clubs slammed into each other and threw their respective wielders back.

Darunia was once again slammed into the wall, making a second imprint only feet away from the first one. Saria was thrown into a large rock only a few feet away.

"Saria!" Kai ran to the small woman and knelt down beside her. "Come on! Wake up Saria! I need some help here, I can't fight both Naboroou and Sheki on my own." Kai said starting to panic.

Saria opened her eyes slowly and looked up at Kai with a small smile. "You'll do fine. Naboroou would never help Sheki fight anyone. She won't help you, but she won't tag team you either." She said before closing her eyes.

"_AAGGGAHH! Now I'm stuck fighting two Sage's with no back up!"_ Kai peaked over the boulder and ducked just in time to avoid an arrow.

"I'm getting really sick of that!" Kai looked back at Darunia's unconscious form half expecting him to make some comment.

"_Ok Kai, think. It's a bow, that means there is a limited number of arrows, and there is time between each shot."_ Kai ran out from behind the boulder and evaded several move arrows as best he could, but was caught off guard when the archer fired four arrows at the same time.

One buzzed over his shoulder, the second missed his back by only an inch, and the third passed by his face.

The fourth however, struck home and hit him in the thigh.

"**RRROOOUUGHGHHHHTTHH"**

Kai let lose a thunderous roar as the intense flare of pain shot through his system. He was able to make it to the next rock outcropping however since Sheki was momentarily stunned by his booming roar.

Marina turned to look at Piper. Her expression was almost one of panic. "Piper, what is he?"

Piper looked up. "What?"

Marina narrowed her eyes. "I asked you what is he? Those arrows hurt, a lot, but nowhere near enough to cause that reaction out of a human. Only something with a darkness affinity would be hurt to that degree. So again, I ask you what is he?" Marina's tone gave no room for leeway.

Piper began to panic, she knee that she had to tell the truth, but she didn't even know what Kai was, not anymore.

_Memory flash_

"_How did you do that?" A female voice asked._

"_Do what?"_ _ Kai replied looking back at her._

"_What do you mean 'do what'. How did you block my attack? How did you hit me with an ice blast when I know your staff had firebolt crystals in it?" The female voice asked._

"_It's just something I can do. Not everyone is limited to one gift. You have two special attacks don't you?" Kai asked dodging the question._

"_That still doesn't answer my question. Please, Kai, tell me, what are you?" The young teen asked._

_After remaining silent for a few moments, Kai spoke. "I am a Scion. A being empowered by another being through a shared bond."_

_Memory flash end_

"Piper? Piper? Are you ok?" Marina asked shaking the bluenettes shoulder.

Piper groaned and looked around. The first thing that she noticed was that she was lying on the ground. Pushing herself up, Piper groaned again in pain. "What happened?" She asked.

Marina looked at her very with a critical eye before answering. "I asked you what your friend was, you turned to look at me, and said. 'He is a Scion' before falling out of your chain onto the floor." Marina replied.

Piper covered her face with one hand and cringed as she felt a headache beginning to throb._ "What was that? Kai never told me anything about him being a Scion before. I've never even heard that word used before."_

Frowning, Marina knelt down to help her friend get up. "You don't look so hot. You feeling ok?" She asked slightly worried.

Piper nodded her head and got up. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy, that's all." She answered with a small smile. "I guess I'm just not used to this kind of heat."

Marina gave her one last glance before returning her attention to the battle ground.

Kai was resting with his back to a boulder gasping in pain. _"What was that?! It felt like I was being burned alive when that thing hit me!"_ Eyes narrowed, and lips pulled back into a snarl. Kai let lose another roar.

"**ROOOOUUGHHTTTHHHH Sheki! Your mine!"**

The voice boomed throughout the stadium.

Getting up, Kai held his staff out in front of him. "Shadow's **embrace**."

Kai's eyes shifted from their normal dull gold color, to a cold shade of dark grey.

To him, it felt like a rush of cold water was running over him, he could literally feel ice forming on his bones and hear his muscles and tendons scream out in agony.

Naboroou and Sheki were both stunned when they saw a flash of black light. Something was very wrong.

Naboroou narrowed her eyes and concentrated. _"This feeling, it's….foul…unnatural. But why does it feel so familiar?"_

Sheki's eyes widened. _"That power, it's the same as Gan"_ Sheki never got to finish the thought.

_SLAM_

Naboroou turned and nearly jumped out of her skin at what she saw.

Kai with his staff in both hands like a baseball bat, standing above Sheki, who was now on the ground unconscious.

"That, felt good." Kai said rolling is neck, causing it to crack a few times.

"Well, are we going to fight? Or are you just going to stand their like some school girl with a crush?" Kai asked grinning.

Naboroou's eyes widened before narrowing into slits. "You have taunted me for the last time nave."

Kai watched as gold and orange colored light enveloped her body like a second skin.

"Oh boy, you friends in trouble now Piper." Marina said shaking her head.

"Why do you say that?" Piper asked raising an eyebrow.

"Naboroou just went full power on him; he won't stand a chance now."

Piper didn't know why, but for some reason, she didn't feel worried. Quite the opposite really. She felt almost….giddy.

Turning to look at Marina, she had a sly smile on her face. "I wouldn't count him out just yet."

Naboroou brought her spear down like a lightning bolt, giving Kai little time to respond.

"Get back here you little pest!" Naboroou shouted as she launched attack after attack at the teen who managed to dodge each and every blow.

"Is that really the best you've got? I've gotten more exercise fighting talons!" Kai taunted.

"AAAGGG! I'm going to turn you into a stain on the city's walls!" Snarling she slammed the butt end of her spear into the ground with enough force the make the ground shake. Using the force of her attack, she pushed off into the air.

"LET'S SEE YOU DODGE THIS!"

Naboroou raised her free hand skywards, and gathered a large mass of energy into it before swinging her arm back down.

Piper watched as the mass of energy took on the form of a hand, more specifically, a fist, and came down on her friend with the force of a runaway freight train.

And grinned.

_BOOOOM_

A large mushroom shaped cloud of sand filled the stadium, blocking everyone's view of the fight.

Many felt bad for the poor lad; he had show promise after all.

Marina felt bad that Naboroou's temper might have, at best, severally hurt one of Piper's friends.

Naboroou felt good about squashing the irritant.

Imagine their surprise.

"**Not bad wench. It has been a long time since I have had a fight this good."**

Everyone's eyes widened at what they saw when the dust settled.

Naboroou's energy fist was still there.

But it had never actually connected with its intended target.

There, Kai stood on one knee, with his right fist in the ground. His left was stretched out and holding his staff.

But what caught everyone's attention.

Were the two masses of energy that were coming from his back, forming two very large dragon wings, which he had used as a shield.

Looking up at the startled Sage, Kai grinned.

"**Now, it's my turn."**

End Chapter 17

AN: Ok, show of hands, how many people want to beat me up right now? Oh well, I felt that here was a good place to stop for this chapter. Next chapter will be the one on one fight between the two, along with a surprise or two.

Now, for a bit of a vote.

I still haven't made up my mind about how I want this story to be, but I'm leaning towards making it 20 chapters long, then ending it. Don't worry, I'm not cheating ya'll out. The story would continue in 20 chapter volumes, this being Volume I.

I'm doing this because it is the best of three options I have. The other being update once every other week or so with hundred thousand word chapters, (like some of my favorite authors do) or make this story over a hundred chapters in length.

Anyways, please review, tell me what you thought of this chapter, and what you would like to see in the future. I'll try to update my other stories sooner, but I'm just really drawn to this one right now, and I write based on my mood.

Till next time, Ja Ne!


	18. Song of the Dragon

Winds of Change.

Chapter 18: Song of the Dragon

AN: Ok, this chapter's title might be a bit strange, but like the others, it is the closest thing to a clue you will get from me other than the chapters content. Now, I also wanted to say that this is my favorite chapter so far for several reasons. First, it has an awesome fight, and second, it has a good deal of humor in it. Oh and I am sorry to say that I misspelled one of the characters names earlier.

It's not Sheki, its Sheik.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

Naboroou was only able to keep her face schooled thanks to years of combat experience. On the inside however she was shocked, furious, and more than just a little excited.

She had thought for sure that her last attack would have been the end of the fight, that the kid would be down and out. But instead, he was looking at her with a broad grin and almost creepy gleam in his eye, one that she recognized instantly.

It was the same one that she herself wore in battle.

"_This boy is no soldier."_ She thought. When a soldier went into battle, all traces of emotion would leave their face, along with every ounce of humanity from their eyes. A soldier fought as a machine, not as a person.

But Kai was just the opposite, his face now showed more emotion than she had seen in the last two days, and his eyes were bright, vibrant with life.

"_He is a warrior."_

Marina watched in awe. Never had she seen anything like this before.

Sure, she had seen her fair share of exotic and strange things. She would even admit to seeing things that were just plain freaky.

But this…

This was unheard of.

Someone that had enough power to hold back an all out attack from a Sage.

Looking over, she was about to ask Piper where she had found this friend, and why she had not introduced him to her earlier, but was surprised to see the dark skinned young woman narrowing her eyes in concentration.

"Piper? You ok?" She asked.

But Piper didn't respond, she just narrowed her eyes further.

"_What is that sound? It's almost like….the wind? No…not the wind…but…what is that?"_

Turning, she looked at Marina with a half expected look in her eyes. "Do you hear that?" She asked.

Marina frowned. "Hear what?"

It was true, the arena was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop; the crowed was still speechless at the sight of someone holding off one of the Sage's with apparently no trouble at all.

Piper strained her hearing. _"I know I heard something, it almost sounded like a woman singing, but why couldn't Marina hear it?"_

Piper watched as the two large wings that had risen from Kai's back 'bloomed' open and pushed Naboroou's energy fist off before it dissipated into nothing. There was no other way of describing them, other than they were absolutely massive. Each was well over twenty feet in length, but the strange thing was how their size seemed to shift. Even though right now they were huge, mere seconds ago they had been no more than fifteen feet in total span.

Kai grinned at the older woman who was still frozen in shock.

"Awe come on, don't tell me that's all you've got. I was just starting to have fun." He teased.

Naboroou shook her head a few times to clear out the 'brain frost' and glared at Kai.

"I don't know what you are, but I'm not going to let you break my three year winning streak!" She shouted as she landed. Naboroou's eyes narrowed as she threw her spear off to the side.

Kai's grin grew larger and he did the same, tossing his staff away as he hopped back and closed his 'wings'. "Oh is that so?" Kai then held out one hand and gave the 'come hither' motion.

Naboroou barred her teeth and charged at full speed, rearing back her fist. "I was going to make you a stain on the floor! But now! YOU'RE GOING TO BE A SMEAR ON THE WALL!" She screamed.

Kai dropped into a defensive stance and sidestepped at the last moment, just as her fist was about to strike his face.

Naboroou's eyes widened._ "How could he have dodged my attack? I was moving at top speed?! There's no way he should have been able to even see me coming!"_ Her mind screamed.

Using the forward momentum, she threw herself forward and brought her left leg up, while at the same time pitching herself to the left.

Kai, who was still standing parallel to her, saw the reverse kick coming and caught it with one hand.

"That the best you've got?" He taunted giving her leg a tug.

Naboroou didn't even bother responding; she just went with the motion and brought her hands down to support her weight, while at the same time bringing up her other leg to kick him from the opposite side. Almost like an 'assault cartwheel'.

Kai stepped back and pulled her leg that he was still holding around and used it to block the incoming kick.

"_She's fast, faster than Aerrow, faster than Starling, heck ,she's as fast as me!"_ Kai thought. Looking down though he saw that her attack was not yet finished. Having released her leg after using it to block, she kept the momentum from the attack going by swiping at him with one of her arms, effectively going into a one armed handstand.

"Gotch ya!" She shouted as her forearm hit his leg, knocking him off balance.

Thinking quickly, Kai went with the attack and let himself to fall back, but twisted his body so that his back would be facing her.

"Big mistake kid, never let your opponent see your UGHHPH!"

Naboroou never got to finish her remark.

While falling forward, Kai spread open his wings at lighting speed, which hit her like two giant fists, throwing her back a few feet flat on her butt.

Kai tucked himself inward and did a handspring before landing facing her.

The crowed had now shaken themselves from their stupor and were once again cheering loudly, and though most were cheering for Naboroou, a small number could be heard chanting for the 'new guy'.

Marina was now beside herself in thought. _"What is he? His powers a similar to those of a Sage, but their not the same. It's as though he has the same abilities, but not as much energy."_ Though her skybox was a fair distance from the arena floor, she could still see the combatants with little trouble.

What really caught her attention though was Kai's energy field. It looked exactly the same as Naborrou's, but was incomplete, cracked; it almost appeared to be damaged. The large 'wings' connected to his back, and there was a small portion of his back that was covered by the black and reddish colored energy, but it didn't curve into his back, rather it had extremely jagged edges and looked almost 'broken'.

"_It almost looks like someone took those wings off of a dragon statue and put them on his back."_ She thought. Looking over Naboroou, she compared the two again. _"Naboroou's is like a second skin or a coating over her body, while Kai's is like a broken piece of armor, just barely hanging onto him."_

Piper too was watching with interest. Despite being a girl, she still loved watch a good fight. Long ago she figured that it must have something to do with her being a native of terra Amazonia, it was just something in her blood. And while she hated war just as much as the next person, fighting….

Got her going.

Not petty squabbles or childish wrestling as was common aboard the Condor, those she found to be annoying. Though whether this was because they were an insult to true combat, or because they usually involved Finn she was still unsure.

But a true battle, like whenever Aerrow would fight Dark Ace, or when he would spar with Starling, she would become enthralled, completely absorbed in the fight.

So much could be learned from watching a person fight, much more than could ever be learned by speaking to them. Her mother had taught her at a very early age that a person's fists were connected not to their arms, but to their heart, to their very core being.

"Combat is poetry of the heart, spoken in metaphor through the body. It is a pure language that is incapable of lying." Her mother had said.

And it was true, in the last few minutes she had learned more about Kai than she had in the entire previous year. _"This is his true self." _She thought as she watched the two exchange a blinding series of punches and kicks.

He moved with fluid grace, dodging Naboroou's attacks rather than blocking.

"_He doesn't take risks. If he is unsure of something, he waits."_

He never attacked first, he always countered.

"_He hurt someone by accident because he got impatient."_

His eyes never left his opponent.

"_He has been betrayed by someone he once trusted."_

But he never looked them in the eye.

"_But he blames himself for that betrayal."_

His strikes were precise and exact.

"_He knows what he wants; he knows where it is and how to reach it."_

But he never struck with his full strength.

"_Yet he is unwilling to take it."_

She then watched as Naboroou leapt backwards in a series of back flips, trying to put as much distance between herself and Kai as possible.

"Oh boy, your buddies in trouble now." Marina said with a smirk.

Piper looked at her friend through the corner of her eye before responding. "What makes you so sure that she's not the one in trouble?"

Marina regarded Piper for a moment with a look of confusion before returning her gaze to the battle.

Piper and Marina watched as Naboroou glowed brightly and reared back her fist, collecting a large amount of power into it. Looking back, Piper saw that Kai had yet to move from the center of the arena, and that his wings had shrunk down to almost nothing, just wisps of black and red coming from his back. Somehow though, Piper knew better than to think it was a sign of him tiring out.

"_This fights just getting started."_ She thought with a smile.

Once again, Naboroou threw her arm forward sending a large fist shaped blast of energy at Kai. Only this time, it was three times larger than the first one.

Piper watched as the wisps of energy completely disappeared from Kai's back, and though she couldn't see his face, she somehow knew that he was smiling.

Reaching back, Kai coiled his fist, and a similar mass of energy built up. But unlike the warm and gentle orange glow of Naboroou, this was a crackling mass of red and black.

Naboroou's hummed gently like the Condor's engine.

Kai's shrieked loudly like a woman screaming.

Just as the orange fist was about to collide with Kai, he let loose and threw out his own fist, sending forth an equally large clawed black arm, slicing clean through the energy fist and almost hitting Naboroou.

Naboroou's eyes widened as she saw the clawed hand approach. Thanks to years of combat, her body reacted on its own and she rolled to the side just in time.

Looking back up, she saw the massive hand just above her. All five claws imbedded into the concrete wall up to the knuckle. Her eyes widened almost comically when she realized that had she not moved, she would have been pinned through.

"WHAT IN DIN'S NAME IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" She shouted.

Instead of responding, Kai roared and threw his other hand forward.

Of course it was followed by another black arm, which Naboroou dodged by rolling to the other side.

Growling, Naboroou pulled back both of her fists and threw them out to her sides before quickly clapping them together.

Kai, despite knowing very little about how a Sage's powers worked, figured out her plan. He retracted his arms quickly, and muttered a quick apology for what he was going to do.

Up in the skybox Piper and Marina were both standing with one leg over the edge, leaning forward trying to get a better view.

Throwing his hands out to his sides, Kai unleashed both dark claws, one to each side.

As he had predicted, two large hands had appeared, one on each side of the arena and were about to crush him between them. But before they could move, Kai's own clawed hands pinned them to the arena walls.

"AHHHHHH!"

And, as he had predicted, Naboroou felt the attack as if it were her own arms that had just been pinned.

"_So her powers work exactly like mine. That means she feels every blow, her body just doesn't take any damage."_ Tilting his head to the side slightly, he decided to test this theory, just to make sure. So, he twisted his own hands inwards, bending the captive hands back as he did so.

"AAAHHHH! YOU BETTER PRAY THAT I DON'T GET LOOSE, OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Naboroou threatened.

Shaking his head, Kai released the irate woman. He wanted a fight; he didn't want to cause unnecessary harm.

"That was a mistake. He shouldn't have let her go." Marina said worriedly.

Piper looked up, quickly taking note of Marina's worried tone.

"Why was it a mistake?" She asked.

Marina looked at the younger girl with an unreadable expression on her face. "Because, now she's going to use _it_ on him. I don't think he's got the power to take that kind of damage and survive.

Piper wondered what _it_ was, but two things happened that grabbed her attention.

The first was Naboroou levitating off the ground slightly, while bringing back both of her arms.

It looked almost like the same motion she had used to perform the 'clap' move. But then Piper saw the difference. This time, Naboroou arched back, and a golden aura engulfed her. The second thing that caught her attention was a shift in Kai's aura. The masses of energy dissipated from his hands and once again the two large wings sprouted from his back, but instead of them being made up of energy, these appeared to be solid, almost like glass or crystal.

"_I don't know what she's doing. But whatever it is, something tells me that I don't have a ghost of a chance of dodging it. All I can do is try and block it."_ Kai spread out his wings to their full, then quickly wrapped them around himself before thrusting their tips and points into the ground.

"TIME FOR YOUR DIRT NAP KID!" Naboroou shouted throwing her arms forward.

Piper watched in awe as a flare of gold light engulfed the arena before condensing into a beam the size of a bus. The blast collided with Kai's wings like a tidal wave, and though he didn't budge an inch upon impact, she was able to see cracks starting to appear in the massive wings. They had started off small, but grew like spider webs until they nearly covered the entire surface.

Just when it appeared that the wings were about to shatter, the blast stopped.

Naboroou, panting, and laboring for breath looked up at the black mass and gaiped.

"You can not be serious." She muttered under her breath.

She couldn't believe it. This had never happened before.

Never.

Growling, she charged at the crystal cocoon.

Marina whistled. "I don't think I've ever seen Naboroou that pissed off before."

Piper couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, Kai has that affect on people. Friend or foe, he can get on anybody's nerves, even Finn's if he tries hard enough.

"Well I think the actual battle is over. I doubt either of them has enough left to do anything other than take swings at the other." Marina replied.

Piper was about to agree with her, but something told her the battle was still going. Though well past the beginning, it was still not quite finished.

The two women, along with the audience watched as the black crystalline wings shattered, but the shards dissolved in mid air, returning to their owned in the form of a black mist.

The black mist covered Kai from head to toe, so that he appeared to have a gray shimmering aura around him, Naboroou herself seemed to find her second wind at this point, and her glow returned to full force. Roaring, she once again charged him.

Kai ducked Naboroou's swing by leaning forward and brought his fist forward at the same time, trying to land a gut blow on the older woman.

Not the most pleasant thing to feel, but it was by far one of the least painful ways he knew to end a fight.

Naboroou saw the attack coming and spun on her heal, presenting Kai with her backside.

Kai's open palm struck her _just_ above the waist line.

"_Good grief, another inch lower and her next attack would have been an open handed slap across my face."_ Kai decided to stick to kicks and elbow attacks after that point.

Naboroou smirked.

"_Just as I thought. He's worried that I'll call him a pervert or something. A warrior he might be, but he's not comfortable with fighting a female opponent in close quarters. Shame that I can't use that as an advantage right now though. Not with this fight being broadcasted across Atmos."_ Bringing around her elbow, she tried to hit Kai while his balance was off. As much as she hated to admit it, the boy could fight, and even worse.

She was having fun.

Kai blocked her attack with both hands and pushed her away, trying to put some distance between them. It seemed that she had picked up on his discomfort, and was taking advantage of it in every way she could. She stayed in a hunched stance that while offering her a decent reach with swipes and punches, left her vulnerable to any form of uppercut.

Kai however was unwilling to even attempt such an attack since there was a good chance of him hitting her in the chest. Had she worn armor, he might have tried it, but with her only in a more decorative version of her normal attire, there was no way in oblivion he would try.

So he did the next best thing he could, grab her arms.

Naboroou inwardly chuckled as the fight continued. She had figured him out, and now was going to bring the fight to an end. No matter how powerful he was, she could see that he was running out of steam. His aura was fading with each passing second, and his breathing was becoming increasingly raspy.

"Stop." He said between clinched teeth as he managed to grab her arms at the wrist.

Raising an eyebrow, Naboroou decided it was her turn to taunt him.

"Aw what's wrong? Little boy running out of juice? To bad I've still got plenty." She said as a sadistic grin spread across her face.

"Stop….holding back." Kai hissed.

That caught her off guard.

"_How did he know? I've been careful to stay just slightly higher, there's no way he could have known….not unless someone told him."_ Looking down at the boy, she spoke.

"What….are…you…talking…..about?" She asked through clinched teeth.

Kai looked up at her furiously. A bright fire burning in the depths of his eyes dared her to try and lie again.

"Stop…holding back." He growled pushing her arms open to her sides. "I can see it in your eyes."

The next two words he said nearly made her turn white.

"Let go."

Looking at him in shock, she sputtered.

"I..I..ca..I can't do that! If I let loose I could send you to the other side of Atmos!" She hissed.

Kai gave her a look that told her 'yeah right' before speaking.

"Look, I know that you're stronger than me, I'm not stupid." He ignored the look she gave him and continued. "I'm going to lose this match, I already know that. But if I'm going out, I'm going out with a bang." His mouth then curled into a wolfish grin. "Besides, when's the last time, you had a chance to really cut loose. This is an exhibition event right? Let's give these people a real show, something they'll never forget eh?"

Naboroou thought it over for a moment, but relented after only a few seconds passed.

Kai released her, and she jumped away to the opposite side of the arena once again, dropped into a kneeling stance and slammed both of her fists into the ground.

Marina, recognizing what Naboroou was about to do gasped and jumped out of her throne. "She wouldn't!"

Piper noticed all the color drain from the rulers face and got up to join her when she heard the voice singing once more. It was much faster now; pent up, almost like it was coming to its end. Piper's eyes lit up in anticipation.

Both Kai and Naboroou began to glow and resonate. Naboroou with a pure gold light, Kai with a purplish red mist that almost looked like oil mixed with blood. The two became brighter and brighter, Kai sprouted his wings once more, roared, and charged. Naboroou looked up, and upon seeing Kai's approaching form, let loose a war cry of her own before sprinting forward and charging full speed.

Kai drove his wings down in front of him like two massive pick axes just in front of Naboroou, who then jumped up onto them. For a second, neither moved, but then Kai threw his wings back, sending her skyward.

"READY OR NOT! HERE IT COMES!" Naboroou shouted arching back while at the same time moving her arms around herself in a circular pattern.

Hundreds upon hundreds of golden fists appeared, filling the arena from every possible direction, all pointing at Kai.

Grinning, Kai leaned down on all fours. His wings shrunk back into a single mass of black energy that moved down his back and came to a stop at the base of his spine.

"**Give me your best shot wench!"** Kai shouted.

The fists came down like a rain of thunder.

Piper watched worriedly, seeing Kai's prone form on the ground made her nervous. She knew Kai was strong, but she also knew he didn't have a chance of taking something like this and still coming out on top.

She saw him turn and look up at her for a brief moment before looking back up. In that single moment, Piper heard the same voice speak one last time. Unlike the previous two times when it was just a whisper in the wind, this time is was clearly audible.

"_Ki-mi no ko-to ma-mo-ri nu-ku ka-ra"_

She didn't know why, but that line struck her deeply. She was positive that she had heard it spoken before, both to her, and not to her. She knew it was the language of the ancients, but she didn't know what it meant. She only knew that she drew comfort from it.

Kai roared one last time, and the energy once again sprouted, this time taking on the form of a large bladed tail, easily three times as long as his wings had been at their largest point. Rising, he spun around and lashed out with it, striking many of the fist that were descending towards him. Each one that came into contact with the tail shattered into thousands of orange crystals that littered the arena floor.

Coming to a stop, Kai looked up at Naboroou, and smiled before mouthing two words.

'_Thank you.'_

Right before the remaining fists came pummeling down on him.

He had managed to destroy quite a few with his last attack, but it was less than a sixth of the total number.

Debris went flying; dust was kicked up like a tornado, and chunks of rock the size of skimmers was sent in every possible direction. It was like a bomb went off. At one point Marina actually feared that the terra would split from the rumbling that was felt, but thankfully the terra held.

When it was over, Naboroou landed on one knee, head bent to the ground, and waited.

The rumbling soon stopped, the rocks came back down, and finally the dust settled.

Naboroou then looked up, and grinned.

There was Kai, standing hunched over, with his wings once again pitched up around him like a tent.

He was alive. Though not quite undamaged.

His flight suit was almost torn completely off, all that was left was the pants, and they had been reduced to a pair of shorts. She could see he was covered in bruises from head to toe, and bleeding.

Rising, she walked towards him slowly.

When she got right in front of him, she noticed that his bottom lip was busted and his left eye was nearly swollen shut.

But the one thing that she noticed above all was the smile he wore.

After taking a few gasping breaths, she heard him speak.

"Now that…was fun."

_Shatter_

The wings on his back shattered into a million pieces, littering the ground around him with shards of black crystal.

His eyes then rolled into the back of his head, and he fell forward, barely giving Naboroou time to catch him.

Everything was silent.

"TODAYS WINNER! AND STILL REIGHNING QUEEN OF THE ARENA, NABOROOU OF TERRA GERUDO!"

Mike announced as the crowds cheered.

Naboroou looked around the arena, seeing the people cheering, and for the first time, actually looked at them. Many that were cheering were from other terras, and most were male.

She was used to men cheering her on, but she usually ignored it, chalking it up to them just hoping for a cat fight like last year, not truly respecting her as a fighter, a warrior.

But now.

Now she could see that they were cheering her on for an entirely different reason. Not because she was a woman, not because she was attractive, no, it was for a simple reason.

She was a warrior.

The fact that she looked good just happened to be a bonus.

Her grin changed to a smile. Not one of the usual sedative ones from when she was taunting her opponents, but a warm smile, a smile of contentment.

Lifting her free arm, she raised it above her head and gave a loud war cry.

"Waauuughh!"

The fans returned the gesture, and cheered louder.

_Later_

"Ughh." Kai opened one eye (the one that could still open) and looked around. He was back in his room, tucked into his bed. Turning to the side his face brushed against something soft.

"_Soft? What the!?"_ He calmed down though when he saw it was the plush bird, and chuckled.

"Scared of a stuffed bird. Pathetic." He grumbled.

"I couldn't agree more." A voice called from the other end of the room.

Kai groaned. _"No please, anything but him, I really don't want to put up with this right now."_ Kai thought.

He heard a rustling sound and looked to the side, and sure enough came face to…uh beak with a familiar blue and red hawk.

"What do you want now? I took out the archer, and I did my best to win. What's wrong, I didn't get beat up badly enough for you?"

His reply was a peck on the head.

"Ouch! Quit that! Kai tried to swat at the pesky bird, but it just ducked his swings and pecked him again before hopping off the bed and transforming into Arygyn.

"Not beat up enough? Son, you look like a herd of Wallops used you for a carpet. Besides I got some nice pictures for the wall back home." Arygyn grinned and held up a Kodiak crystal that showed several shots of Kai getting beat up. One in particular caught his attention, it showed his head flying to the side with a trail of spit coming out, Naboroou's fist was firmly connected to his jaw.

"You need better hobbies, you know that?" He replied.

"You need to get a hobby, you know that?" Arygyn shot back.

Kai pinched the bridge of his nose and silently counted down from ten before reopening his eyes. "Ok, I know that you're here for a reason. As much as you love messing with me, I know you wouldn't seek me out just to do so. Now tell me, why are you here?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Well to congratulate you of course! You did better than a blind man at a golf course, so that's something." Arygyn said grinning. When he saw Kai's blank expression however, he became a bit more serious. "Ok you got me, look kid, don't do that again. You need to hold back on using her for now."

"What are you talking about? Rose is fine and there is nothing wrong with her crystal." Kai snorted.

Arygyn didn't tease or give him any witty comeback, which surprised Kai. He just remained silent for a moment, and then blinked like he was coming out of a trance.

"You're past the neck already aren't you?" It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.

Kai did his best to remain impassive, but couldn't help but wonder how the guy knew about _that_ particular problem.

"I can hear the waters boy, their raging now. That little stunt you pulled just made this mess a lot whole lot worse. If the water overtakes you, things will get very bad very quickly." He said in a completely serious tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kai said calmly.

Arygyn shot him an annoyed looked before getting up and heading to the open window. "Boy, if you're not carful, you could end up causing yourself quite a bit of pain. Keep that in mind."

Kai pulled himself up and looked at the man with a passive glare. "I'm not afraid of pain."

Arygyn gave him a sympathetic look before answering. "But do you wish to cause it to others?" He said before transforming and flying out the window.

Kai shook his head and decided to ignore the man. Groaning he managed to get up with quite a bit of effort, when he noticed a sudden difference in temperature. Looking down he saw that he was only in the remains of his flight suite, as well as quite a few bandages.

"A few more for the collection I guess." He said seeing a few scars he didn't remember having before. He found a flight tunic like the one Link had been wearing and slipped it on quickly. "Ok, first I need to find out how long I was out, and then I need something to eat." His stomach chose to make itself known by letting out a growl that would have made Junko proud. Petting his stomach he smirked. "Patience my pet, patience."

Leaving the room, Kai managed to make it down the hallway and found his way to the dinning room. Just as he was about to open it, he heard a loud commotion, followed by several shouts.

"_Aw man, I really don't have time for a fight right now."_ He thought before kicking in the door and dropping into an attack stance, only to be greeted by several surprised pairs of eyes.

"Uhh sorry bout that, I heard shouting and thought there was a fight or something." Kai said nervously. He heard a smacking sound and saw Piper had covered her face with her hand and was groaning.

"Ah just who we were talking about, you made it in time for dinner, if you're hungry that is." Marina said with a pleasant look on her face.

Kai's stomach answered for him.

_GROOOOUUUGHHHHH_

Smirking, Kai took the open seat beside Piper, sat down and readied his fork and knife in each hand. "I'm set." He said with a smile.

"Heathen outsider." He heard muttered.

Kai turned to glare at Zelda, who was giving him the closest thing he had ever seen to Starling's patented 'I doom you' glare. Though it was still weak in comparison.

"What is you problem? Is there some law against being hungry? I burned out fighting and I need food." Looking at Marina he mouthed 'meat' hoping she got the point.

Zelda started shaking in her seat, then exploded.

"My PROBLEM is you! I don't know who you think you are, and frankly I don't care, but I will see to it personally that you are thrown into a very, _very_ deep hole when you leave here, so that the likes of you will never again haunt our presence." She seethed.

Kai narrowed his good eye to a thin slit.

"Zelda, he did nothing wrong, he hasn't broken any law, and is guilty of nothing more than seeking aid. Who are you to." Marina was cut off.

"Oh of course YOU would side with him. After all, he's from your stock isn't he? Breaking laws as he please, making a mockery of proud and noble traditions for the sake of his own personal enjoyment, and as rude as." Zelda's rant was cut short by Marina.

"Rude?! Look who's talking you spoiled tart! All you have done is criticize him since he set foot on this terra." Marina shot back.

"Tart?! How dare you. HOW DARE YOU! You filthy desert vermin!"

"Pampered daddy's girl!"

"Pick pocketing piece of trash!"

"Bottle blond!"

Zelda's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Traitor." She hissed.

Marina was about to fire off a scathing remark when someone else stepped in.

"Cross dresser."

_Silence_

Everyone in the room slowly turned towards where the voice had come from.

Sitting on the table, as though nothing had happened, Kai grinned.

Zelda leveled him with her full fury. "What…did…you…say?" She hissed.

"You heard me. I called you a cross dresser. You know, as in transvestite." He said calmly.

Moving his eye around the table he saw most of the others were still in shock, (read most). Link was deathly pale, Ruto was blushing red and Piper looked mortified.

Marina and Naboroou however were twitching. Kai could see the ends of their mouths trying to curl upwards. They desperately tried to fight it, but to no avail.

At the same time both women broke out laughing and pounded the table with their fists. It got to the point that the two were almost crying in pain from laughing.

"Ka…Ka…Kai…w..w..w…why would you say something like that?"

Turning to his side, Kai saw that Piper looked like she was going to die of embarrassment, so he decided to spill.

"Simple, I was just calling our dear friend _Sheik_ here by _her_ appropriate title. Isn't that right _Princess_" Kai said smirking.

Piper looked confused, and was about to ask what he meant when Marina managed to pull herself together. Naboroou however was hopelessly in stitches.

"What he means is that Sheik and Zelda are one and the same. Its how she gets around not being able to compete as Princess Zelda." Marina took a deep breath before turning to Kai. "Question now though, is how did you know?" She asked indicating Kai.

Kai tapped his nose. "I recognized her scent the second I saw her. Besides, what self respecting _male_ would use lilac scented shampoo?"

Ruto spoke up. "You mean that you knew all along? And you still beamed her upside the head?" She asked in surprise.

"I beamed her upside the head _because_ I knew." He replied as his grin widened.

Zelda, knowing that she could not win this time, grabbed Link by the shoulder and dragged him out of the room.

"Though I do wonder which is the real side, Zelda or Sheik?" Kai added.

This time everyone roared in laughter.

Several hours later, after eating, Kai asked the one question he had been dreading.

"So, your highness, did I pass?" He asked without looking up at her.

Marina cleared her throat and remained silent for a moment. "You fought valiantly, and managed to defeat two Sage's in combat, not to mention push a third into going full force, and walked away alive….well, you were carried out on a stretcher, but you were breathing. Though you did not win the tournament, I am afraid."

Kai cut her off. "No need to apologize. I understand. Piper and I need to be ready to leave soon. I thank you for you time but." This time Marina cut him off.

"You didn't let me finish." She said with a smirk. "Though you did not win, you did pass the trial. You have proven to me your power."

Kai looked up confused. "But I thought you said that?"

"I said that you had to prove your power, and you did. Not many people have done what you did." Marina sat back in her throne before continuing. "Now, tell me why it is you are so pressed for time? You have been very adamant about your timetable. What is so important about tonight?" She asked.

"_Tonight!? I slept through an entire day! That means we only have a few hours!_" Collecting himself, Kai saw that Piper was confused as well. _"That's right, she was out cold when I opened the gate, and I never did really explain it to her."_ Kai cleared his throat and tried to explain what was going on as best he could.

"We managed to reach this terra using an artifact called the Gate of Mayfil. It is a portal that allows travel between itself and any point instantly." Seeing that he had everyone's attention, he continued. "I discovered it some time back, and figured out how it works after a few….accidents." He said quickly. "It is ideal for me since it allows me to move quickly without being seen. But recently I discovered that it has a delayed return sequence as well. Allowing me not only to move freely from terra Deep to any other point, but to return at a preset time. That is the reason for my being in a hurry. I set the gate to open at exactly 10:00 P.M. If we're not there, it means we have to take the long way back."

Marina looked outside the window and noted that there wasn't much time left. _"Only a few hours at best. I need to find Alia and get ready."_

Kai seemed to be reading her mind. "You don't have to worry about supplies. I have plenty at my base. Just bring the essentials and anything that can't normally be bought. Odds are that I have anything else you'd bring." He said flatly.

"Your base?" Naboroou asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. Though we are a bit pressed for time, my plan was to go to the farthest point first, meaning here, and then return to base before gathering the others. The time it would take for me to reach them should give Piper adequate time to do further research for the mission." Feeling his muscles screaming bloody murder at him he added mentally. _"Not to mention give me some time to heal up and recoup. Naboroou hits harder than most men."_ Kai thought as he rubbed his chin.

"Well, it that case we should prepare immediately. We have less than two full hours to prepare. I will have your skimmer brought out with my own in exactly one hour." Marina said rising from the table, she gave the others a slight bow before excusing herself.

Kai turned to Piper and nudged her with his elbow to get her attention.

"Hm?"

"We need to get ready as well. You head back and pack your stuff; I'll come get you in a little bit ok?" He asked.

"What about your stuff? Don't you need to pack up too?" She asked.

Kai shook his head. "I never unpacked, so I can leave at any time."

Piper nodded her head and excused herself.

_Knock knock knock_

Marina sighed before calling out.

"Enter."

She heard the door open and close behind her. Turning, she saw that it was Naboroou.

"Something wrong?" She asked surprised to see her friend had left the dinning hall so soon.

"Your highness…have you…..do you remember the vision..." Naboroou was cut off when Marina waved her hand.

"I have not forgotten about it, in fact it's the reason I'm going." Seeing her friend's expression change to one of alarm she continued. "The Storm Hawks helped us out of a royal jam; I couldn't send one of them off to their death and not feel guilty." She said calmly.

"Marina, the creature you spoke of…you don't think it could be…Kai do you?" Naboroou decided to voice her primary concern at the moment, seeing that time was against her.

Though the description Marina had given of the creature did not match that of Kai, even with his powers active, she couldn't help but note their similarities.

Marina shook her head. "No, I do not believe Kai to be the creature from my vision. It was a bit larger, more muscular than he is. Not to mention the wings look nothing alike. Kai's are either pure energy, or crystal. The creature's wings looked more like an insects, clear with ribs every so many feet."

"Your highness, I…I don't doubt in your judgment, but…please be careful." Naboroou walked towards the younger woman and grabbed her hands in her own.

"Naboroou, you worry too much." Marina tried to pull back her hands, but was surprised when Naboroou held them tightly.

"Please, be carful." She said slowly before releasing the ruler's hands. She then pulled up a necklace with a small pouch at the end. Opening it, she stuck in two fingers and pulled out a round orange crystal that was about the size of a quarter.

"Naboroou, what are?"

The older woman cut her off. "This is for you to use. It's not much, but it will let you draw some power from me should you need it." She said holding it out.

Marina took the small crystal and nearly jumped when she felt something like a static shock hit her.

Naboroou chuckled. "That was just a bit of overflow, don't worry about it." Naboroou then hugged her friend silently before leaving.

Marina looked down at the orange crystal and smiled. "Thank you Naboroou."

A few minutes later she entered the hanger with a mission pack. Looking around she quickly spotted Kai and Piper.

Kai was arguing with one of the people in the hanger while Piper tried to discretely distance herself from him.

"I'm telling you! That was not there before!" Kai shouted pointing at a long scratch that ran down the side of his skimmer.

"Let it go, it's nothing a little buffing cant fix right?" Marina said to defuse the situation.

The second Kai turned to Marina, the mechanic bolted for the door like a scared rabbit.

Looking back Kai groaned. "Aw man. I still can't believe someone would do something like that. It was probably Zelda." The last part came out as a mutter.

Marina shook her head before climbing onto her own skimmer. "Well, we've got about thirty minutes left. Where exactly is this Mayfil Gate supposed to open?" She asked.

Kai seemed to snap out of a trance and hopped onto his skimmer. "Piper! Come on!" He shouted.

Piper, though clearly startled ran back to the skimmer and climbed on behind Kai.

"You ready your highness?" He asked with a grin as he brought 'the monster' to life and revved it up a few times.

In response Marina brought her own skimmer to life and let it roar before she looked at Kai with a single raised eyebrow. Her face was practically screaming 'bring it on!'

Kai revved twice before pulling around to the front of the hanger. Marina answered his challenge and came up beside him.

"Which way to the gate?" She asked briskly as she put on a pair of fingerless gloves.

Kai scanned the area before pointing at the end of the runway. "Head out straight, stick close to me and what ever you do, don't fall off your skimmer in the gate ok?" He shouted.

Marina nodded before scooching back in her seat to lean forward, hugging the skimmers frame with her body. _"I don't know what this 'gate' is, but it he was serious about not falling off. I'd better just play it safe….for now."_ She thought with a grin.

That's when they heard what they were waiting for. A single voice over the radio.

_Static_

"Your highness, Kai. You are cleared for take off."

_Static_

"Allllrightt!" Kai shouted as he floored the skimmers throttle to full. Marina gave him ten seconds to get a lead before following herself.

Kai looked over his shoulder and was surprised to see Marina actually catching up to him.

Then.

Kai's eyes widened as Marina popped a wheelie. Not a small one, but a full blown racer. Bringing up the front tire of her skimmer a full five feet.

Kai grinned and was about to respond when he felt a pair of slender arms snake around him.

"Don't even think about it." Piper hissed in his ear.

Kai gave her a look that said 'kicked puppy' but she ignored it. Giving up (this round) he deployed the skimmers wings and quickly gained altitude. Looking back he saw that Marina was about five yards behind him.

It didn't take long for them to reach the point. It was just a normal patch of desert. Sand in every direction and a few dead trees.

Marina was about to call out to him to make sure this was the right spot when the night sky was lit up with white and pale green fire. It looked like a whirlpool in midair and was large enough that a carrier could fly through with no trouble at all.

"Welcome to the Gate of Mayfil." Kai said before flying through it.

Marina swallowed a lump in her throat before following suit.

It was over in a flash.

One second the sky was black and filled with stars, the next it was glowing green and was blocked out.

Marina felt a cold shiver run down her from head to toe. Looking up she saw Kai had put his skimmer into hover mode and was waiting for her.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" He asked.

Marina looked around, still a bit uneasy. Her stomach was doing summersaults and her skin felt like it had been flash frozen. "Where are we?" She asked.

"This is terra Deep. It's a bit of a rats nest, but that's why I like it. Nobody can find me unless I want them to. Now stay close or you'll get lost." He said putting his skimmer into gear and pulling away.

Marina quickly followed, having no desire to get lost in this above ground cavern of a terra.

A few minutes passed before a wrecked carrier came into view.

Marina whistled. "I feel sorry for whomever that thing belonged to." She said trying to lighten the mood.

"That would be my base." Kai said dryly.

Piper chuckled and spoke up for the first time since taking off. "Don't worry. It's not that bad really. The outside is like camouflage, so don't let it fool you."

Marina at this point was starting to have second thoughts about helping. "Oh well, a promise is a promise." She said to herself as she continued to follow.

Once they got close a series of running lights along the top of the carrier cut on, showing a runway path that led to an open door.

"That's where we're heading. Try not to slam when you land, I haven't had time to finish repairs yet." Kai added.

It didn't take long, but the trio landed safely and Kai closed the hanger door before leading them inside.

Marina's eyes widened when he opened the airlock.

"There is no way that we are inside the same carrier that we just landed in." She said looking around.

Piper laughed. "Yeah, it takes a little getting used to, but it's not that bad. Wait till you see all the stuff he's got hidden away in here. It's like an armory and supply depot with a maintenance division." She said still chuckling.

"That can wait, first we need to find the ot..th…er.s….."

Kai stood frozen in front of the door he had just opened. Marina and Piper slowly crept up and looked over his shoulders.

There, standing in the middle of the ships bridge were four figures.

Four people that Piper knew quite well.

Four people that had four very different looks on their faces.

And none were pleased.

Stepping forward into the light, Starling leveled Kai with a knowing glare.

"Kai, we need to talk."

End Chapter 18

AN: Ok, I know that I've been gone a while, and I'm sorry about that. I've just been really busy lately and haven't had time to write anything. I hope that this chapter makes up for my absence at least a little.

Well, it looks like Kai's in a bit of hot water huh? The next chapter will explain what it is that Kai has been up to for the last year, well, to an extent lol. If I told you everything now it wouldn't be as much fun as feeding you little bits at a time. As before if you have any suggestions or comments please leave them in a review. I accept annon reviews and I don't usually bite. Good ideas are appreciated and flames will be used to keep me warm. Till next time, Ja Ne!


	19. Dirty Laundry

Winds of Change.

Chapter 19: Dirty Laundry

AN: Well It's finally here. No not the last chapter of this story, that's next chapter. Chapter 20 will end Vol I of Wind's of Change. But the series will continue, so don't worry, things are just getting started. But this chapter is important as it will finally reveal the events of the last year, and what has caused Kai to be what he has become.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, Myna, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Mysgrl7

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

"Kai, we need to talk."

Looking around, Kai saw one of the last things he had counted on.

Apparently while he and Piper had been gone, Starling and Shadow had taken it upon themselves to collect the others.

He quickly looked them over, trying to get a feel for the atmosphere and their general mood.

And also to figure out just how deep in he was.

"_Ok, Tigger won't even look at my face and her breathing is borderline hyperventilating. She must have been the one that sold me out. Rondana's same as always, calm to the core, but her stance shows that she's nervous."_

As bad as those two were, the other two were by far worse.

Shadow's cheeks and eyes were puffy and red, proof that she had been crying. But her face didn't show an ounce of grief or sadness, the closest he could describe it to was shock. It was totally blank.

Then, there was Starling.

Her face was calm and passive as always. He could make out the faintest touch of red on her cheeks, but it could have just as easily been the lighting. Her eyes were a different story entirely. They were the one way he was able to ever figure out what was going through her mind.

The two forest green orbs were filled with confusion, grief, and, unfortunately (for Kai) anger. _"Well, it looks like she finally found out. All I can do now is damage control."_

Kai coughed to try and break the silence. "Please follow me." He said before turning to leave the room.

Starling was about to grab him but caught the subtle way his shoulders drooped. Combined with his request to follow him, she figured that he was going to take them to a better place to talk.

The group walked for a few minutes until they reached the crew quarters.

"Marina, you can leave your things in any one of the rooms."

Starling cut him off from continuing.

"Kai, if you want us to trust you, you have to show that you trust us first. How else."

Kai surprised her by cutting in.

"I am aware of that. But for the information you seek, I need to show you my quarters." He said calmly.

"I think I'll hold onto my things for now. I want to know what going on." Marina said as Griffy and Radarr suddenly appeared flanking Shadow and Piper.

Kai nodded and made his way to the captain's quarters, and opened the hatch.

If the other rooms looked like pricy hotels, Kai's was a prison cell.

There were no decorations to speak of, and the overall tone was depressing. Most of the walls were bare, and unlike the guest quarters that had carpet, this one had a metal floor.

He held the door open and waited for them to file in.

"Alright. You want to know what I've been up to right?" He said regarding the others.

Starling, Piper Rondana and Marina were the only ones to nod. Shadow was still stunned and Tigger already knew a bit more than the others.

Kai gestured towards a large map that covered an entire wall. It was fairly detailed they noticed. It showed every known terra and was covered in sticky notes and markers.

"This is the war." Kai said walking up to the large map before continuing. "Every terra that is red is currently under Cyclonian control, and any terra with a red flag is Cyclonian friendly." As he spoke he pointed out some specific examples.

Seeing that he had their attention, he continued. "Everyone else is a potential ally. The terra's currently loyal to Cyclonia are potential targets, or stage areas." At this point Piper and Starling both came forward and examined the map.

Piper, being a navigator quickly saw that the center of the map was terra Deep, and that all notations of location and distance were measured from it. She also noticed that it had tab markers and numeric values that could only correspond to a log book. Meaning that this was a general map, and that he kept the detailed information hidden else ware.

Starling, due to her training took quick note of the information on the scraps of paper that surrounded the terras.

"_Population, military strength, garrison numbers, supply's, strategic value, resources? How does he get this information?"_ She thought.

"Ok, I'm confused. Could somebody please explain to me what is going on? And just who are you four?" Marina said looking between the map and the others.

Piper perked up. "Oh that's right! You never met the others." Turning she pointed to the four 'new faces'.

"Well, this is Starling, Sky Knight of terra Messa and flight lead of the Interceptors. She's the best female Sky Knight in the Atmosian league." Starling turned to give Marina a blank look before returning her attention to the map.

"Then this is Tigger, well…she prefers to be called Tigger, her real name is Tiggerlily. She's the chief mechanic for the Rock Hearts and their crystal expert." Tigger gave a small wave and smiled.

"The one standing over there beside Kai is Rondana. She's a universal medic from terra Pathologica."

"Universal medic?" Marina asked quirking an eyebrow.

"She means that I am both a doctor and surgeon. I am also trained in several different arts of healing ranging from herbal to as of last week acupuncture."

"Acupuncture? Whats what?" Shadow asked, speaking for the first time since yesterday.

"It means that I use pressure points to alleviate stress and pain on a neurological level." Rondana said smiling.

Shadow looked to Kai for a translation.

"It means that people pay her lots of money to stick them with lots of needles." Kai said with a small grin.

Shadows face quickly blanched.

"And who is this?" Marina asked indicating Shadow.

"That's Shadow. She became a member of the Storm Hawks shortly after are….adventure with the Hyrulian league." Piper explained.

"Ok, now that I know who all of you are, would somebody mind explaining to me what this is all about?" Marina asked pointing at the map. "I mean seriously, this looks like my dads old war room."

Kai chuckled but stopped when Starling shot him a glare.

"Kai, you said that the information we sought was here. Now where is it?" She said focusing on Kai.

"_Oh well, at least they were distracted for a little while."_ He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard a soft choking sound. Turning, he came face to face with an extremely distraught Shadow.

"Shadow….are you ok?" He asked slightly worried.

She only made a few choking sounds and shook her head in response, causing Kai's shoulders to sag even further.

"Ok, tell me, exactly what it is you what to know?" he asked in a defeated tone of voice.

"For starters, you could explain why it is that Tigger said that you are a Murk Raider." Starling asked with narrowed eyes.

"Ah that." Kai took a deep breath. "Well, as you can see, I live in terra Deep. So run-ins with the Murks are unavoidable. I managed to avoid them from about two months, but then got caught in a crossfire between them and three Cyclonian Battleships." He then noticed Piper's nervous chuckle.

"Uh, whoops. That was kinda our fault. We were being chased by the Cyclonians and ran in here to hide. But then the Murks were after us and we ran back out and led them to the Cyclonians waiting outside." Piper said rubbing the back of her head.

"Well, that explains why they were in such a foul mood." Kai said to himself but still loud enough that the other heard it. Seeing Starling's glare though he returned to the subject. "Well, they were firing at me, so I did the only thing I could think of, I fired at the Cyclonian's to try and pass off that I was on their side. When I returned here, I found Scabulous waiting on my doorstep. He basically tried to mug me, but I managed to stall him with a business proposition."

"You made a deal with Captain Scabulous?" Piper asked gaping.

"Hey I had no other choice. I was tired from the fight and he had a crew to back him up. Not to mention the fact that my skimmers weapons were damaged." Starling cut him off.

"If there is a point to this would you please hurry to it. I have yet to see where this is going." She said coolly.

Kai gulped, but continued. "Well, I knew that pirates are only looking out for themselves, so I had to offer something they would not only want, but something that I could use continuously to barter with. So I offered them all current information on Cyclonian supply lines, with the promise that I would update them regularly."

"You gave them our intelligence reports! Kai what were you thinking?! No, I take that back, you couldn't be thinking to do something so stupid!" Starling was cut off however by Kai.

"Hang on a sec, you think I did that just to save my skin? I had planned on doing it anyways." Seeing everyone other than Rondana and Marina's startled expressions, he explained. "Starling, you know as well as I do that we need help. We. Are. Losing this war. We need any help that is available, and the Murk Raiders are just one example of aid that the Council has rejected."

"But Kai! Their pirates, you can't seriously believe that they would help us for free?! Or that they would even help us to begin with. How could you have known that they wouldn't just take the information and kill you anyways?" Piper shouted.

"I trust them because they are pirates. Their soul motivating force is greed and self indulgence. The easier the plunder the more attractive it becomes to them. You are right that they didn't come cheap, but I'm not the one paying them. Lark is." Kai said with a grin. Walking over to the map on his wall, he pointed at several black lines that ran by terra deep.

"See these? These lines represent dead routes that the Cyclonian's were using to transport supplies. The reason they don't use them anymore unless it's an emergency is because of me. I would let the Murks know whenever a convoy was going to be passing by. After six months of losing supplies, the Cyclonian's finally figured out that the Murks were to blame, and changed their supply lines."

"But how does that help? So what, their not using the same routes, I fail to see how that could make a noticeable change in the war." Tigger pointed out.

"Actually….actually it does." Piper said looking at the marks a bit more closely now.

"How could making them take a different route hurt them? Their still getting the supplies. I mean, yeah for six months it did slow them down, but now you can't do anything about them, not unless the Murks are willing to leave the terra." Tigger said leaning against the wall.

"That's just it, it slows them down." Piper responded before running her fingers along one of the black lines. "See this one here? This route let the move supplies from terra Bluster to terra Nimbus in three days, but now." She ran her index finger across a light blue line that ran between the two terra's. "Now they take this route, which takes them five days. That's two more days than the original route. Two days can be a long time if you're out of fuel crystals or weapon crystals." Piper said.

"Ok, I can see how this works now." Marina said walking up to the map. "Cyclonia's main strengths are their numbers and resources. By closing off some of the faster routes you're not only slowing them down, but you crowding them into a smaller area. Pretty smart for a kid." She said.

"Well, that's not all of it; there are other groups around Atmos that are similar to the Murks. Pirates and bandits can be used to slow down supplies and are pretty good as a general annoyance. When the raids get bad enough, they have two options. The first is to try and wipe out the problem, but that would mean taking talons out of regular combat and sending them out on hunting expeditions. Which would take away from their man power, and eat up resources. So most of the time they fall back on the second option, which is to abandon the route and find another. This doesn't take as much resources, but it does take time. Overall, they are a good harassment and stall tactic."

Starling cut him off at this point.

"But why did you come to live here in the first place? There were any number of terra's that you could have chosen from, why chose here?"

Kai bit his lip at this point and looked around the room, seeing that he was now the center of attention, he sighed. "I can't tell you _everything_. I could put you in danger, and you probably wouldn't believe me anyways, well, except Piper."

Everyone turned to stare at the young girl.

Piper looked confused for a moment, but then realization dawned on her.

"The gate." She said understanding Kai's reason.

Kai nodded sadly. "Someone has to keep an eye on it, and someone has to make sure that it is never discovered. I would destroy it, but…"

"I'm sorry but are you talking about the Gate of Mayfil?" Marina asked slightly confused.

Starling, Shadow, Tigger and Rondana all looked at the red head for an explanation.

"Hey all I know is what Kai told me when we used it to get here. That and the things creepy." She said.

"Kai, what is this…Gate of Mayfil?" Starling asked slowly as though she were processing the information.

"The Gate is an artifact I…came across a while back. It's essentially a teleportation device that will send you anywhere you want to go so long as you know its coordinates."

Piper's eyes widened. "Kai, why didn't you report it to the Council? Do you have any idea what something like this could do?" She asked stunned at what she had learned.

Kai shot her a low powered glare. "I know exactly what the Gate is capable of, and that is the exact reason I _didn't_ inform the Council about it." Kai said bitterly.

Starling and Marina both lowered their heads in disgust, figuring out the secondary reason behind his actions.

"What are you talking about? If the portal that we used in terra Gerudo is any indication, you could send an entire fleet directly to Lark's front lawn. She'd never know what hit her." Piper said still confused.

Kai shook his head. "Piper, do you remember anything from when we entered the sphere? Anything at all?" He asked seriously.

Piper thought for a moment.

Flashback

_Piper's eyes were wide and her mouth open. She had never seen anything like this before. Sure, she had been to the Forbidden City, but it had nothing on this place._

_A large crystal wall surrounded the immense fortress, rising at least a hundred feet. But, she noticed something was off. Despite the wall being intact, the city lay in ruins. It looked like a massive atmosquake had struck it long ago, but, were that the case, then the wall should have been destroyed as well. The only other thing not destroyed was a large…she didn't even know how to describe it._

_In the very back of the city, there stood something that looked like an upside down U. It was quite a distance away, but she could see that the thick green fog that filled up terra deep was being pulled into the…thing, like a vacuum._

"_What…what is this place? What happened here?" Piper asked looking around._

"_You want the full story, of the edited one?" Kai asked coldly._

_Piper noticed that he was acting…strange again. The same way he had the other day. Cold, almost as if he were angry with her. "What's going on with him? Why is he acting this way? Whatever the case, he asked me a question, I'd better take the safe one, for now." Taking a deep breath, she answered. "The edited one."_

_Kai nodded. "The ancients found this place four thousand years ago, discovering its tactical potential; they built the Mayfil fortress to protect it, insuring that only they could use the gate. Nearly three thousand years ago, at the climax of the third great war, the fortress fell into the hands of their enemy's, and was turned against them." Kai answered._

Flashback end.

Piper looked up at Kai, still confused. "I don't understand, how could the Gate be used against us if we used it?" She asked.

"The same way it was turned against the Ancients. The portal works two ways, not one. Once a gate has been opened, anything can pass between the two points, _from either side_ of the gate. Remember what the fortress looked like? How it was leveled and the only thing standing was the wall and sphere?" Seeing Piper nod, he continued. "That's because someone managed to slip an extremely powerful bomb in through the other side. They waited for the gate to open, and then dropped it in from their end; it fell out on this side and went off, wiping out the entire fortress."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"But, how did the gate survive? Did the enemies rebuild it or something?" Shadow asked.

Turning, Kai saw that she was sitting on the end of his bed watching everyone. She still looked pretty rough, but at least she didn't look like someone had just kicked her favorite puppy any longer.

Kai shook his head. "No, the Gate….seems to be indestructible. Lord knows I threw everything I could get my hands on at it once I figured out what it did exactly. The Gate survived the blast without a scratch, and survived three thousand years of father time beating it with a bat. It's bomb proof, blast proof, fire proof, laser proof, crystal proof, and immune to both physical and verbal assault." He said crossing his arms.

"Wait, let me get this straight, you _yelled_ at it? Why?" Marina asked half amused.

Rondana grew a smirk before giggling at the mental image of a chibi Kai running out of stuff to blast it with run up and kick it only to hop on one foot shouting and cursing at it.

Kai groaned. "I think Rondana figured it out." He said with a slight chuckle.

"Kai…what about….what about the other things….Tigger's mom said...are they true as well?" Shadow asked looking up at Kai slightly nervous.

Flashback

"_Your little friend is a wanted man Shadow. He has been found guilty of treason, conspiring with the enemy, and providing comfort and aid to enemy forces among other things. He is also a person of interest and is wanted for questioning in regards to a break in at the Council Archives. He is a dangerous person that should be locked away for a very long time."_

Flashback end.

Kai groaned again. "Yes, but not in the way your thinking."

Shadow looked up suddenly. _"That's exactly what Kurk said."_

Kai went back to the map and pointed to a few random terra's that had red flags on them. "See, not everyone that is friendly with Cyclonia is so by choice. Some of the terra's are ruled by monarchy's, so the people have little choice in the matter. Also there are several terra's that have remained neutral so far, siding with neither us nor the Cyclonian's. So I have…discreetly tried to get them to help us out in one way or another."

"Kai, what…what have." Seeing Starling's expression, Kai cut her off.

"Sometimes I help the Murk's in a raid. When I do I get to keep whatever I can carry off the ship like any other crew member. I am also given free reign to anything the Murk's deem as 'useless'. For them this is anything that is not gold, booze or weapons. Meaning that all documents and medical supplies are given to me. Sometimes these are treaties or request from Cyclonia, other times it is a treaty or request from another terra. When this happens I will…alter it slightly and deliver it myself. That's one of the reasons Cyclonia has had such a hard time getting any trade agreements from other nations. I hike up their export tax on anything they send, and hike up their import tax on anything they would receive. Thus ticking off one of the two and ending all talks of trade or aid. Other times I will alter their field reports to make an area look less valuable or less defended than it really is so they underestimate it." Smiling he looked at Starling. "Counter intelligence."

Rondana's eyes widened. "That's where you've been getting the medical supplies you left us isn't it?" She asked.

Kai nodded his head. "Yes it is. I also gave some vaccines to a few of Pathalogica's less….menacing tribes to try and get their support. Though that didn't end the way I had hoped." Kai said frowning.

Sighing, Starling pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kai, I understand what you are trying to do, but you should leave this to those that know what they are doing. You were trained for many different things, but a diplomat you are not."

"That is where you are wrong. Remember, I've still got _her_ help as well. And she is a great negotiator." Kai said grinning.

"Her? Who is her?" Shadow asked confused.

Kai's face went blank, he had forgotten about the others.

"She…she is a friend I met back some years ago. She helps me out every now and then when I'm in deep or need a favor." Kai replied calmly.

"Is she going to help us?" Tigger asked innocently.

"_Dang, I can't lie to her…but maybe I won't have to."_ Kai looked back at Tigger. "Yes, she will be helping us, but we won't be meeting her. Besides, her price is a bit…steep." Kai said carefully.

Turning back he saw that Starling was still trying to figure out exactly what was going on._ "She knows I'm not telling everything, but she's not willing to try and drag it out of me. Why?"_ Kai knew that between Starling Rondana and Tigger, the three could figure out almost everything he had done, that's why he didn't want them ever meeting up like this, and one of the reasons he hadn't wanted Starling to be part of the group in the first place.

"Kai, I still don't see why you are doing all this. Why are you doing all this yourself?" Piper asked.

Silently Kai thanked his lucky stars for the distraction before he spoke. "I'm doing it because somebody has to. The Council has done nothing more than stick its head in the sand and try to maintain order. At the same time they ignore allies that could help us, allies that they frown upon because of miner infractions or things they just don't like. Cyclonia hasn't been anywhere near as discriminatory, and that's how they got this far."

"Like when they allied themselves with the Raptors?" Shadow asked.

Starling's eyes widened. _"Oh no, why, why of all the things to say did she bring up that?"_

Kai's face lowered until his eyes were covered by his hairs shadow.

"The Raptors are a _perfect _example. Fifty years ago when they first made contact with the Raptor's, they were deemed as threatening and to be avoided. Cyclonis appealed to their hunting nature and told them that there was strong prey among her enemy's. That is why they hunt us now. The council allowed it because they were unwilling to do the same. Instead they slapped a 'do not enter' sticker on the terra and left it alone. Now we're paying for it." Kai said seething between his teeth.

"But the council has done its best. Their not perfect, and neither are you for that matter." Piper said accusingly.

Kai turned to face the bluenette and nearly gave her a heart attack when she saw his eyes.

"You think that I don't know that? You think that I don't know that I make mistakes?" Kai walked towards the now frightened girl, not breaking eye contact for a second, not ever to blink.

"I am fully aware of my limitations, and I am also well aware of the fact that I'm not perfect. Every time I look in a mirror I'm reminded of _that_ little fact, every time I get injured I'm reminded of that, every time I see Master Cyclonis on the field, on a poster, or on the TV I get reminded of that." Holding out his hands, he opened them and held them out towards Piper.

"Every time I fight, or use my abilities I am reminded of the fact that I am imperfect, that I make mistakes, and that I am no better than anyone else. It's the reason I am doing all this now. It's the reason I have spent the last year of my life running around playing errand boy for a grade A one nut job! I know that I am imperfect Piper!" Taking a few deep breaths, he stepped away from her and held himself up against the wall with both hands and his head.

"I know." He said before slumping forward and almost falling.

"Kai!" Starling barley caught his falling form before it hit the ground.

"What happened?" Rondana asked rushing up to them.

Starling gave him the once over and noticed his light breathing. Sighing, she looked back to the others. "He's burned out. I'm surprised he went as long as he did actually." Slinging one of his arms over her shoulder, she hefted him up before turning to Shadow.

"Shadow, could you take everyone to the rooms? I'll be along later." She said making her way to Kai's bed.

Shadow nodded and hoped up off the foot of Kai's bed and led the others out.

"_Good grief Kai, you're a lot heavier then you were back then."_ Starling thought as memories from what seemed to be a lifetime ago flashed through her mind. She finally reached the side of his bed and lowered him to it before rolling the blankets over him and stepping back.

"_Kai, you can't still be blaming yourself. How could you have known back then who Lark was? None of us even knew that Master Cyclonis had a daughter."_ Starling thought shaking her head.

Looking around, and knowing from past experience that Kai would be out for a while, she tried to figure out what to do with the time.

"_I could just go back with the others…but…"_ Looking back at Kai, then back to the closed hatch. _"This might be the only chance I get. Besides, it's not snooping if I don't open anything. It's just browsing."_ She thought to herself.

She walked back over to the map and studied it for a few minutes. It was obvious that Kai had spent a great deal of time collecting the information, and she had to admit that his logic was sound. Among the notations were lists of rebel factions and even a few sticky notes that mentioned specific dates, complete with times and locations, but nothing else. She figured that they must have been reminders of some sort.

Several of the other terra's had strange symbols on them, symbols that she knew to be Ancients, but didn't understand what they meant. Each of these also had a series of numbers written beside them on one side, and a letter number designation on the other. _"A code of some sort?"_ She thought.

Moving along she saw the small bookcase that housed several very old and well worn tomes, as well as a few message crystals. She did notice the one picture that sat on the middle shelf however. She had a copy of the same photograph at her base.

It was a picture of the Interceptors standing in front of their HQ. Two of the squadron members were to each side of herself and all five were smiling. _"To bad we didn't have an automatic camera and Kai always had to take the picture."_ She thought ruefully.

Starling walked back to the desk and pulled the chair out from it, intent on waiting for Kai to wake. She knew that he was still holding back information and she knew that he wouldn't speak a word to anyone else. _"But if it's just me, maybe he will."_

_Plnk_

Starling stopped and looked down. "What was that?" Looking around she didn't see that anything had moved, nothing had fallen and nothing was moving. She took one step back to see if anything was behind her when.

_Plnk_

Looking down, she noticed that a single metal tile was a slightly different color than the rest. Not by much, only a single shade. But to Starling's trained eyes the difference was as clear to see as day and night. Moving closer she stepped on the tile again.

_Plnk_

An grinned. _"A hidden compartment? Kai, you really need to work on hiding things better."_ Looking around though she did have a second thought. _"I guess he just never counted on anyone every actually finding him in the first place."_ For some reason, that line of thinking both slightly saddened and angered her.

Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she felt around the edges of the tile for a way to lift it, but found none. _"Ok, so maybe he isn't as bad at hiding things as I thought. How does he open this thing? There are no finger holes or handle to this thing."_ Looking at the tile closely she noticed that there was a single round mark in the middle. It was a perfect circular scratch about the size of her hand.

"_Ok, so he's really good at hiding things. I'm guessing this is a fingerprint scanner of some sort, or maybe…no, he wouldn't make it something that simple would we?"_ She noticed a large circular magnet on the wall. It was about the same size as the circle on the floor she noted.

Starling quickly made her way to the magnet and pulled it off the wall before returning to the tile and setting down beside it. After making sure that Kai was still asleep, she put the magnet on top of the scratch mark, and pulled up.

Sure enough the tile came up with the magnet.

Smirking at her success, Starling was surprised to find only a single small box under the tile. Seeing that Kai had yet to stir, she reached down and pulled it up.

The wooden box was surprisingly light and easily held in one hand. Setting it down, Starling took one last glance at Kai before opening it.

And immediately regretted doing so.

In the center of the box was a smaller box, but lining it was several half burnt photographs and broken trinkets, as well as a piece of purple ribbon. Picking up one of the pictures to get a better look, she saw it was one of herself from when she had just returned after completing the Sky Knight trials at sixteen. Everything below her chest had been burned away and the photos edges were curling and crinkled. Putting it back she found herself drawn to the boxes contents, almost unable to pull herself away.

In all there were eight photos. Two were of the Interceptors, one was of Kai and his father when he was only a few weeks old, one was of Kai's family, two were Kai with herself, and the last two were just her.

She felt a small smile on her face as she looked at one in particular. It was in front of Kai's old house back on terra Messa and showed the two of them wrestling. She figured that Kai must have been about seven with herself being about twelve. _"Hard to believe that things can change so much in a few years."_

Along with the half burnt photos there was a broken toy skimmer, missing its wings and rear tire. Picking it up she remembered when she had first seen it. It was a model that Kai had put together many years ago. It was one of the few gifts his mother had given him that he actually cared for. Shaking her head slowly, she set it aside.

Aside from the small box, there were also two message crystals, and several crystal shards, all Lunar if she wasn't mistaken._ "I wonder why he would keep shards of a Lunar crystal? Their not all that rare and."_ She noticed a small mark on one of the larger shards. Holding it up to get a better look, she saw that it looked like the corner of a shield. _"He actually kept it after all this time?"_ Looking back up at Kai, she smiled. _"I guess it's true what they say. The more things change, the more they stay the same."_

All that was left was the small box.

Biting her lip, she reached for it and placed it in her lap. Thought not very large, the box was still about the size of her hand.

"_It must be something from Messa, but why would he keep it separate from everything else? Maybe it's fragile?"_ Swallowing a lump in her throat, she pulled down the small brass latch, and opened the box.

Upon seeing the contents, several emotions flashed through her. Starting with shock, followed by confusion, and finally anger.

"For someone that preaches so much about trust, you sure have a funny way of respecting other peoples, you know that?"

Jumping slightly, Starling turned to see Kai standing behind her with his arms crossed and a scow on his face.

Getting to her feet Starling hit him with her glare at full force.

"You have no right to speak on the subject of trust. I can understand you wanting to cling to a few memories, but this is crossing the line." She hissed.

"I crossed no lines, and you still have to explain why you're snooping through my stuff." Kai replied not backing down.

Starling's anger had started to take control. She knew in the back of her mind that she was going to regret her actions, but right now, she just didn't care.

"I have been your friend for over thirteen years, thirteen years! I have helped you in any way that I could, I bent the rules, not to mention a few laws to help you if you remember and even considered you as a part of my family. I trusted you, and this is how you repay that trust?" Starling shouted holding up a single golden bangle. (Exactly like the three she wares in the show)

I spent two months looking for this in our bases rubble. Two months of digging through piles twisted metal, mountains of broken brick and miles of burnt electrical wire! You know full well what this means to me, and you had no right to keep it! If this is what you keep from your closets friend, I hate to think of what you're keeping from the others!" Starling shouted as she trusted the box into Kai's stomach and stormed out of the room.

A few seconds past before Kai reacted. Like Starling, he felt a flood of emotions run through him, but for an entirely different reason. Sadness and hurt, quickly followed by anger.

"She didn't even give me a chance to explain." He said quietly to himself. Growling he threw the box against the wall and left his room for the bases gym.

The small wooden box splinted open revealing four silver bangles identical to Starling's gold ones.

Starling saw that two of the quarter's doors were open and guessed that the others were in them. Not quite feeling like company, she opted for one of the others.

For the first time in over a year, she felt lost. Not just confused, but completely and totally lost. Opening her clinched hand, she gazed at the golden bangle.

"Mother." She said softly closing her hand around the bangle while at the same time trying to force her mask back into place.

_Knock knock_

"Everything alight?"

Starling's head shot up; slightly startled she fumbled with the bangle before turning her attention to who had just entered.

"I thought…I don't know, something just felt wrong. Are you ok?" Tigger asked sitting down on the bed next to the older woman.

Starling looked at the small blond girl with a blank expression the clearly read 'everything's not ok' but didn't say anything.

"Sooo your Starling huh. It's nice to finally meet you in person, you know, for longer than a few minutes." She said laughing nervously.

"Tigger, I am not in the best of moods right now. Please, leave me be. I wish to be alone." Starling said trying her best to be civil.

Tigger frowned. "Well duh. When a person wants to be alone is when they need company most." Seeing that she had Starling's attention, she continued. "Besides I've wanted to meet you for a while. Your one of the few female Sky Knights on Atmos, and Kai always goes on about you and the other Interceptors. I've had to listen about how great you are for the last six months, you owe me." She said firmly.

Starling looked up with a raised eyebrow, surprised by the girl's boldness.

"Look, I take it that Kai did something that upset you." Seeing that Starling was about to interrupt, she held up her hand signaling her to wait. "Trust me, I know the look. You're forgetting that I've been with Aladd for a year now." She then smiled warmly. "Now, I can honestly tell you that whatever it was, he had a reason. I haven't known Kai for anywhere near as long as you, but I do know that he never does anything without a reason."

Starling looked back at the bangle in her hand and clinched it shut. "I used to think the same thing, but now…now I'm not so sure." She said softly.

Tigger scoffed. "Oh come on, this is Kai we're talking about. Besides, out of everyone on this rock, you're the last one he would ever hurt." Tigger kicked her legs back and forth on the edge of the bed. "You're really lucky, you know, he's a good friend."

Starling looked at the small blond girl questioningly. "What do you mean by that?"

Tigger smiled. "I've only know him for about a year, but he's already done quite a bit for me. A few months ago he got me two tickets to a sold out concert. I don't know how he got them, but he did, and I didn't even ask him to. He just heard me complaining about missing out on getting the tickets because of a mission, and two days later I find them on my pillow waiting for me."

Starling took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Tigger groaned. "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad. It's not like he stole your mom's wedding band." Seeing Starling's eyes shoot open she gaped. "He actually stole you mom's wedding ring?" She asked.

Starling shook her head. "Not quite." Opening her hand, she revealed the gold bangle.

Tigger looked at it, and then back at Starling. "He stole one of your bangles? But you still had three, I mean, I can see why you would be upset, but is it really all that big a deal?"

Starling's face became twisted for a moment, but it quickly faded back to normal. "There's no way for you to have know about that is there?"

Tigger looked at her slightly curious and tilted her head to the side. "Know about what?"

Starling looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, but sighed. "These are not just idle jewelry. It's part of terra Messa's culture, and one of our traditions."

"So, what are they?" Tigger asked now interested.

Starling looked at the two bangles on her right arm, and the one on her left. "The one's on my right arm are mine and mine alone. But the left, the one on my left was given to me by my father, and this one was my mothers." She said holding up the bangle in her hand.

Seeing that Tigger was still listening, she continued. "When a child was born on terra Messa, their parents would give them one bangle each from their right arm. Those bands are to be worn on the childs left. When the child turns ten they are given a third to wear on their right arm, and the forth is given when they turn sixteen."

"So they show who your parents are and your age?" Tigger asked.

"_Well, among other things."_ Starling thought with a slight tinge of pink.

"Wait a sec, was this for everyone born on Messa?" Tigger asked slightly confused.

"Yes, why do you ask?" Starling asked.

Tigger was quiet for a second then responded. "If that's true, then how come I've never seen Kai wear any?" She asked.

It was true; Starling realized what it was that had seemed off about Kai since she saw him back at Lark's palace over a year ago.

Starling looked at Tigger slightly startled. "I thought something was different about him. He had a set, but I haven't seen him wear them in over a year." She said more than just a little confused.

Sensing that this was possibly something serious, Tigger decided to change the subject. "Can I see it?" She asked holding out her hands.

Starling frowned slightly, but handed the item over to Tigger.

Smiling, Tigger looked over the piece. She had thought that it was a simple gold bangle, but she was surprised to find out that she had thought wrong. It actually had a fairly complex design engraved into it, but it could only be seen in direct light. _"Huh? What's this? It almost looks like."_ Tigger stood up and cut on the rooms other lights and pushed her glasses up to get a better look.

"Is something wrong?" Starling asked.

Tigger narrowed her eyes and held the bangle closer to her face.

"_What is that? It looks like a spider web, but it's too irregular to be part of the design."_ Tigger ran her fingers along the inside of the bangle, and felt that it was slightly rough. A moment of thinking was all it took to figure out what had happened.

"Starling, when did Kai take this from you?" Tigger asked still examining the bangle.

Starling looked away. "It was missing when I woke up…after the attack on terra Messa a year ago. I know that I had it on before I…blacked out." She answered.

Tigger looked at Starling with a serious face. "Starling, I think it was broken." Starling looked like she was about to snatch the bangle away, so Tigger continued. "I can feel edges along the inside, and see fracture lines on the outside. I think he was trying to fix it." Tigger said holding the bangle out to Starling.

Reaching out, she took it and ran her fingers along the inside. Sure enough she could feel rough edges along the inside. She would have to take Tigger's word on the fracture lines, her eyes couldn't compete with Tigger's glasses.

"_If it was shattered, then it must have been in thousands of pieces….is that why he had it? Was he trying to fix it for me? If he was, then that means that I."_

Tigger, seeing the various expressions pass across Starling's face, figured out what had happened, but remained silent.

"I…thank you Tigger. I need to find Kai." Starling said getting up and leaving the room.

_In another section of the ship_

"Stupid, how could you be so stupid?!" Kai shouted as he continued decimating the punching bag.

"Of course she would be upset."

_Jab jab hook jab uppercut_

"She can put back together a skimmer, so why couldn't she put back together a bangle?"

_Hook hook jab jab hook jab_

Roaring he slammed both fists into the side of the punching bag breaking its chain.

Again.

Panting, he looked up at the broken chain before looking back at the floor.

"I screwed up." He said softly before making his way across the room and shutting off the lights.

Despite it being pitch black, he could still see perfectly fine. But he knew that the others couldn't. Should they find this room, they would pass by since the lights were off.

Walking over to the opposite wall, he slid his back against it until he was on the ground and pulled up his knees to his chest, and rested his head against them.

Closing his eyes, he focused on his other senses, trying to will himself back into control, to force his own mask and bindings back into place.

He felt the cold metal along his back and feet.

He could smell the stale air around him.

He could hear the patter of water drops.

But try as he might, he couldn't do it.

The mask was one thing. Long ago he had learned how to control the majority of his emotions. Bottling and releasing them at will.

But the bindings, they were a different story entirely.

The emotional and mental bindings that he used to keep himself objective were difficult to put into place, and even harder to but back into place once they slipped.

Having been 'dragged out into the light' while he was still weakened from his fight with Naboroou had made a few slip out of place.

"_I don't care what Arygyn says. This is my fault. It's my mess to clean up, and until it is, this is how things must be."_ Kai thought.

_Pat pat pat pat pat pat_

The door to his private gym opened and flooded with light.

"Kai? Are you in here?"

"_Not now…just….just go away."_ Kai mentally pleaded.

Starling looked around the room, but didn't see any movement, and she couldn't hear anything either. But she still trusted her instincts, and they were saying that he was here.

Taking a step forward, she closed the door behind her and walked forward.

"_Blasted woman. Cant she just leave well enough alone for now."_ He thought bitterly.

She didn't speak, but at the same time she didn't have to. She didn't need to call out his name again. She didn't need to hear him speak, she knew he was here.

When she reached the center of the room, she did a few stretches before starting a few kata.

"_What is she up to?"_ Kai watched as she went through the motions of the kata, they weren't much, just basic level stuff he had learned from her years ago.

Starling, not hearing anything, started getting nervous. _"I hope this works. I know he's probably upset right now, but…"_

Kai sat and watched from the shadows, not moving a muscle. Remaining silent and keeping still were two lessons that had been drilled into him for years. So he knew that despite her sensing his presence, she hadn't a clue where he really was.

Five minutes this continued, and nothing had changed. Starling had reached the end of the hand to hand kata she knew and slumped to her knees in the middle of the room out of breath.

"I know you're here Kai."

_Silence_

"I…I wanted to say that….I'm sorry. I overreacted. It's just that…finding that you had it all along, piled on top of everything else was…too much. Everyone has limits, breaking points, walls they can't go beyond. I…I just happened to hit mine today, and took it out on you. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

_Silence_

"But…I hope that…you will…forgive me?" She asked listening to her echo fade.

"I guess….I pushed you to yours as well then." She said, still waiting for anything.

Kai had long ago closed his eyes. Thankful that he could cut off at least one sense. Leaving him to be assaulted by the remaining four.

Narrowing her eyes, Starling once again lost control of her temper. "I came here, to apologize! The least you could do is respond!" She shouted.

Still, nothing.

Shaking her head, she walked to the door, and opened it. Before leaving she turned back and looked into the darkness.

"Somewhere in there is a mature being, the one that I trained and have been friends with since I was eleven. If you find him, let him know that Starling wishes to speak with him." She said slamming the door shut.

"Come on out Arygyn, I know your there." Kai said still not opening his eyes.

"How did you know I was here?" The man asked from a few feet away.

Kai chuckled. "I didn't, I just figured that as rotten as this day's been that you were the only thing that could possibly make it worse." Getting up he brushed off his pants before turning to the man. "It was a hunch."

Arygyn chuckled. "Well I hate to tell you this, but your day's about to get a whole lot worse."

Kai scoffed. "Really? I can't possibly see ho UHGFF!" Kai's eyes widened as a fist pulled away from his stomach knocking the wind out of him. Sinking to his knees he looked up confused. "Why?"

Arygyn shook his head sadly.

"Because that was strike three. I can't interfere with the mission, but I can make sure you don't damage it or screw it up even more than you have already. When this is all over, you'll thank me." The man said as Kai passed out.

Morning came, and the girls made their way to the kitchen. They knew that something was wrong though given Starling's foul mood. She had yet to speak to anyone and her face showed clear sighs of distress.

Entering the kitchen however caused quite the stir.

"KAI!" Shadow screamed.

Everyone looked up and saw their host suspended in mid air, about six inch's off the ground. His face was a contorted mask of rage and anger and he looked like he was struggling to get lose.

"Oh don't worry about him. He'll be fine."

The girls turned to the source of the voice and were surprised to see Arygyn sitting at the table with his legs propped up and arms behind his head.

"Care for some Belgium waffles? Pancakes? For a hermit he's pretty well stocked." Arygyn said waving his had at the large breakfast on the table.

Marina squinted her eyes for a moment before it clicked.

"Arygyn? Arygyn the Skeeler?" She said slowly.

"The one and only. How's it going Marina? I haven't seen you since you were in diapers shaking a rattle!" Arygyn said hopping up. "I've still got some of your baby pictures actually."

Marina pulled her dual scimitars and charged.

When she was about a foot away she found herself in the same position as Kai, struggling and hovering a few inch's off the ground.

"PUT ME DOWN SO I CAN SKIN YOU ALIVE!" Marina shouted.

Arygyn yawned. "Why is it you kids are so grumpy in the mornings? Seriously is this how you greet people in the morning? With a flying kick?"

"Just when its you!" Kai snarled.

_Tisk tisk tisk_

"Sorry to say that I don't have time to play. I'm just here to put things in gear and get this show on the road." Looking at Marina, he smiled. "I'm going to put you down now, if you behave you get breakfast, if you don't, then you get to be like your delinquent little friend over there and watch everyone else eat ok?"

Marina was no fool. She knew who Arygyn was, and despite her desire to decapitate him, she knew she was no match for him, especially now. So she decided to wait for a better time, and nodded her head.

"Arygyn, not that it isn't a pleasure to meet you again, but why are you here?" Piper asked.

"Glad you asked cupcake. You see, due to certain 'laws' I'm not allowed to directly interfere with anything or take direct action." Seeing that he had their attention, he continued. "I am however allowed to influence events though indirect manipulation. Things like giving information or showing people things."

Getting up he walked to the group of girls. "For the past year my primary agent for this has been you little friend Kai." He smirked when he saw the mixed reactions.

"Wait a second, your telling me that Kai works for you?" Marina asked glaring at the boy.

"Hey! How was I supposed to know you held a grudge against him? It's not like I know every other member of the "I hate Arygyn fan club'. But if you're interested I've got some jackets for it." Kai said smugly.

Arygyn shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Ant while he'll never get employee of the month, he does get the job done."

"Kai…why didn't you tell us?" Starling asked looking at her friend even more hurt than she was yesterday.

Kai lowered his head in shame and looked the other way. "Because I didn't want you getting hurt." He answered softly.

"Ah yes, that brings me to the reason I'm here. You see, this current mission of his is actually an assignment from me, and I want to make sure that he doesn't muck up the works anymore that he already has." Arygyn said poking Kai in the chest with his staff.

"Muck up the works? What are you talking about?" Shadow asked.

Arygyn smirked.

"Well you see little missy, Kai has this rather bad habit of not figuring things out or thinking them all the way through. He's done quite a bit of damage, and that needs to be fixed if all of you are going to make it through this alive." Arygyn said turning to Starling as he spoke.

Walking over to the woman, he held out a hand. "Sorry about before, but…your presence was crucial, and had you not been here where you were, things would have gotten worse. No hard feelings?" He asked smiling.

Starling reached out her hand and was surprised when she felt a jolt course through her body.

Arygyn laughed and held up his hand. "Joy buzzer, I never get tired of that one." Tigger and Shadow snickered, but Starling frowned.

"Is there a point to all this?" She asked.

Arygyn nodded his head. "Yes, but I thought the mood was getting a bit tense. You kids need to learn how to, what is the Blizzarian's say? Chill?"

"Now you can see what I have to put up with all the time?" Kai said from the back of the room.

"Oh quiet you." Arygyn said looking over his shoulder before turning back to the ladies. "Now, I take it that you have learned a few things about Kai that you didn't know before yesterday correct?" Seeing them nod he continued. "Well that's not the whole story. Kai just told you that to get you off his back, or as he would call it 'selective disinformation'"

Seeing Starling's face become even more pained, he continued. "Though given the circumstances, I can't say that I really can blame him for doing so."

Starling looked up, now slightly less hurt, but a bit confused.

"Starling, your one of the main reasons he's had it so hard lately." He said reaching into his cloak.

"Arygyn, keep you mouth shut." Kai warned with a slight growl.

Arygyn turned to him and gave a wink, mouthing 'don't worry.'

Reaching into his cloak, he pulled out an inch thick binder and tossed it to her.

While startled, she did catch it, but was now even more confused. "What is this?" She asked.

"Why don't you open it and take a look?" Arygyn said with a grin.

Now that her curiosity had been poked, and seeing that she might finally get some straight answers to her questions, she gave in and opened the binder.

Carefully reading the contents she turned the page, then the next, and the next. "I never received any of these? Where did they come from?" She asked looking up at Arygyn.

"What is it?" Piper asked moving beside the older woman to get a look.

"They're mission orders from the Sky Council addressed to me, but I never received any of these. How is it that they are marked completed?" She asked now even more confused.

"Yes Kai, how is it that they are marked completed even though she never received them?" Arygyn asked with a smirk.

Kai groaned.

Starling's eyes widened. "You didn't."

"What? What did he do?" Rondana asked not understanding what was going on.

Kai, still looking at the floor spoke. "I…I did the missions. I did them in your place."

Starling's face went from confused to furious. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you could get into if the Council ever found out about this?! Impersonating an officer is punishable by death! Kai what on Atmos could posses you to do something so foolish?!" Starling shouted trembling in anger.

"HAVE YOU EVEN SEEN THE ORDERS!" Kai shouted looking up at her. "Star, those are SUICIDE missions!"

Starling narrowed her eyes. "Kai you know as well as I do that given my status I would be the most logical choice for undercover and espionage operations. It's dangerous but it's also my duty."

At this Kai just shook his head. "You don't understand…you just…AGGGRGG! YOU DON'T GET IT DO YOU?!" Kai shouted in frustration.

"Apparently I don't. Care to explain it to me?" She asked keeping her tone civil.

"Arygyn, why did you have to bring this up? Do you have any idea the trouble I've gone though to keep this under wraps?" Kai asked with a sigh.

"Don't ignore me Kai! Answer the question!" Starling shouted slamming the binder on a nearby counter.

"BECAUSE THEY WERE, AND STILL ARE TRYING TO KILL YOU!" Kai shouted.

_Silence_

"Kai…I know you don't care for me taking dangerous missions, but it is still my." Kai cut her off at this point.

"No, I'm not talking about your normal A grade missions that have single digit survival ratings Star." Kai looked up with a blank expression on his face. "I mean they really are trying to kill you. Read some of those missions over." He said motioning his head towards the binder.

Shadow picked up the binder and flipped though it while the others watched the conversation continue.

"Kai, we've been over this, the Council is trying to do their best. Right now that means sending their best people out to do the most dangerous assignments." Starling was once again cut off.

"Star, read my lips. The. Council. Wants. You. Dead." Then looking away, he continued. "And it's my fault."

"What are you talking about? Kai the Council is trying to look out for the people, to do what is in their best interests." Piper replied.

"Your half right." Arygyn interjected.

"Uh Starling, you should take a look at this." Shadow said holding open the binder.

Now even more confused she looked at the page Shadow had indicated, and her eyes flew open.

_It has been decided that the continued services of Sky Knight Starling, service number 787-2431-998 of the Messa Interceptors are no longer in our best interests. Her service record has indicated that she is willing to disobey direct orders when they come into conflict with her personal beliefs. Furthermore there is sufficient evidence that she had maintained contact with Kai and would be willing to allow him passage should he seek it in an attempt to escape._

_We do acknowledge that she may be of further use to us however. Should she fall while in the line of duty it could be used as a platform for recruitment. As such in addition to her normal missions, all S rank missions will be forwarded to her until such an event occurs._

Starling dropped the binder to the ground.

"Now do you get it? They want you dead, and it's my fault." Kai said bitterly.

"But, why would the Council want Starling dead? She's one of the best Sky Knights they have?" Piper said now confused and frightened.

"They want her dead because she's my friend. It's a petty attempt to get at me through her." Kai responded.

"But why Starling? I mean, you have other friend's right?" Rondana asked.

Kai shook his head. "Starling is my closest friend. That combined with the fact that she has no squadron and her terra is uninhabited makes her an easy choice. They use her status as a special operative for an excuse as to why she would be on a mission with a zero percent survival projection. It would look suspicious, not to mention it would deplete their ranks if they used anyone that was from a guard squadron like the Zero's or the Neck Deeps."

Starling was still frozen in shock, but she was slowly thawing. "I can't believe they would do something as petty and low as this." She said shaking her head in disbelief.

"Better believe it sister, the Council will do what ever it takes to stay in control of the body, even if it means cutting off a few fingers in the process." Arygyn said bitterly.

"But why didn't you tell her? Better yet, why didn't you take this to the press?!" Tigger said mortified at what she was learning.

"Who would believe it? If anyone other than Arygyn had given it to you, would you have believed it? I doubt you would have believed me if I told you. As far as Atmos is concerned I'm the rouge ex apprentice that is nothing more than an occasional nuisance." Kai said with venom dripping from his voice.

Starling looked up at Kai and walked towards him. "I…I…" Shaking her head, Starling looked at her friend with misty eyes. "I'm sorry that I doubted you."

Kai snorted. "I can't really blame you. Problem now though is what are you guys going to do? I've worked my butt off for the last year to keep this from getting out." He said motioning to the others with his head.

"Well this certainly won't help them with my people. When the Hyrulian league catches wind of this." Kai cut Marina off.

"NO! You can't do that!"

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"You seriously believe that I would form an alliance with people that are willing to pull this kind of stunt?" Marina asked incredulously.

"Don't you get it? That's why I've tried to keep it from getting out in the first place. I didn't want their problems with me to affect anyone else!" Looking down at Starling he continued. "Of course I wouldn't let them actually do anything major." He amended.

"But if the Council is so rotten, then why not?" Rondana asked scoffing. "They deserve what they have coming to them if you ask me." She said.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Of course they deserve what's coming to them. But we're in the middle of a war remember? I'm doing everything I can to keep Free Atmos in one piece. That means leaving a bunch of petty old men that have nothing better to do than worry about me keeping quiet in charge so that it has some form of stability. The people need confidence in those in charge, they need to believe that the Council has their best interests at heart or else Cyclonis will have flocks of Sky Squadrons fgoing to help her." Kai said pleadingly.

"So that's why you were always getting so torn up. You were doing suicide missions in Starling's place to keep her safe." Rondana said realization dawning on her.

"Not quite. Believe it or not, he rarely has trouble with S rank missions. A majority of the time's he gets messed up is when he's on my payroll." Arygyn said looking up from a plate of now half eaten omelets.

"Huh? What do you mean your payroll?" Shadow asked sitting down and grabbing her own plate.

Arygyn swallowed down a glass of juice before answering. "Well, Kai actually has three different continuous assignments. Filling in for Stary over there and trying to get help for the idiots in charge are just the two he does by choice. The third is a bit more complicated." Arygyn said twisting his face slightly.

By now that others had sat down and were eating.

"What do you mean complicated?" Marina asked reaching for some of the pancakes.

"Well….as I am sure that you have guessed from his performance at the arena, Kai is not exactly normal." Seeing Kai and Starling both flinch, he paused for a moment.

"Yes? Go on." Marina said listening carefully.

"I'm afraid that I am not at liberty to say much, that is Kai's decision alone. Yes I just spilled some of his beans so to say, but that was to better explain what he tried to say last night, and failed miserably at doing so I might add." Arygyn said with a smirk.

Marina looked up and saw how uncomfortable Kai was getting, so she decided to let him off the hook.

For now.

"Ok, I can respect that. But what exactly does he do? Can you tell us that much?" She asked.

Arygyn nodded. "Kai serves as a protector of sorts for Ancient artifacts."

"Like the Gate of Mayfil?" Piper asked grabbing the syrup.

"In a way. He stays here by himself so that nobody else gets put on the Councils bad list, the Gate is just a bonus, like living next to an Atmos Hut that has free delivery. It makes it easier for him though so I haven't pestered him about it much."

"Not pestered me much? Your worse than having head lice and flees! You never leave me alone!" Kai shouted.

"I pester you about HOW you live, not WHERE you live. Now be quiet or I'll tell them _everything_ and not just what is important." Arygyn smirked when he saw Kai doing a wonderful impression of a fish before turning back to the others.

"Now where was? Oh yes, Kai's line of work. You see, due to her having access to large stores of resources, and having additional manpower, Lark is able to do more than the Council. That coupled with her….semi-unique knowledge of the Ancients means that she can use anything of theirs that she finds."

"Wait, how exactly does Lark know so much about the Ancients? It's easier for a person to find information on crystal refinement than them. I have to sneak into the archives just to take peeks at what the Council knows." Piper asked.

Once again Kai and Starling stiffened slightly.

"That's not important at this moment. What is important is that she has the knowledge to make use of what she finds. Kai' job is to basically make sure she finds nothing of use." Arygyn said calmly.

"But why Kai?" Marina asked narrowing her eyes. She smelt something amiss. _"I can understand why he would want to prevent Lark form getting her hands on anything that could possibly be as dangerous as the Triforce, but that doesn't explain why he doesn't have an entire squadron doing this assignment."_

"Because I'm the only person that knows as much as her. That combined with what you saw in the arena makes me the only person qualified for the job." Kai said firmly.

"Oh? And why is that?" Marina asked raising an eyebrow.

"Because Ancient tech isn't just dangerous, it's temperamental. If someone doesn't know what they are doing and messes with it you end up with a very large crater, and that's if you're lucky." Kai said trying to get a crick out of his neck.

"So what is it exactly you do when you find these artifacts? I'm guessing you don't hand them over to the Council." Tigger said looking up from her plate.

"Normally I destroy them, or at the very least render them useless. Their just too dangerous. The ones that I can't destroy I hide as best I can." Kai answered.

"But how is it you get so torn up doing it? I mean last time I patched you up you looked like you fell into a blender full of nails." Rondana asked.

"Because Ancient tech is never easy to get to. It's always someplace full of traps or at the very least in a place hard to reach. The Ancient's themselves might be gone, but not every trace of them is. Some of their…experiments have survived and have bread. Additionally their traps are still in place and usually work." Kai replied.

"But if their so well guarded, why do you have to do anything about them?" Piper asked confused.

"Think about it Piper. If Kai can get through the traps and reach it, then someone else could too. He's not the only person with skills. Lark has plenty of A rank people under her." Shadow said tapping her chin. "Am I right?" She asked looking at Kai.

"Right on the money." He said smiling.

"Ok, let me see if I understand all this." Marina said taking a deep breath. "Kai is for some unknown reason on the Councils hit list, yet, he protects them by preventing Lark from getting her hands on anything that would tip the balance of power too far into her favor. At the same time he helps them by upsetting normal operations for the Cyclonian's and by taking away possible allies for her and trying to gain some for the Council." Pausing she took another breath before continuing.

"While he's doing this, he is also doing missions under the guise of Starling to keep her alive and out of danger, helping other squadrons whenever he can, and is harassing both ends to some extent to keep himself safe. Would that be an adequate summery?" Marina asked quirking an eyebrow.

Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Unless you count in my tinkering and collections, yeah, that's about it."

Marina's jaw dropped. "How can you possibly do all this by yourself?" She asked stunned.

Kai fidgeted for a moment. "I don't do all that by myself. I do have SOME help. I have contacts on almost every terra that I use to gather information. Also money doesn't just talk; it can get you some very helpful friends too. But when things get too bad I hid out with Tigger and her squad." He responded.

Marina shook her head. "That's not what I meant. It's easy to tell that you had help; nobody can do that much, you'd have to be in ten places at once. What I meant was how do you keep going? There's no way that you're not under SOME stress."

Once again Kai shrugged his shoulders. "I tinker. I've got a hanger full of skimmers I built from scratch or fixed up, a library full of stuff to read and a full gym. If I get too board I join up with the Murks and play a few rounds of cards. No big." Kai said as calmly as he could.

Marina shook her head. "Then you're a stronger person then me. I'd go nuts if I did what I do alone. How you can stand it is beyond me."

The room was silent for a minute, but that was quickly broken by Tigger.

"Soooo where are your bangles?" She asked innocently.

Arygyn couldn't hide the grin that appeared at this remark, he didn't even try.

"What? Bagels are over there." Kai said pointing with his head at one of the cabinets.

Radarr scurried over to the cabinet and held up a bag in triumph, but was tackled by Griffy.

"Griffy! No! Bad boy get back here!" Shadow shouted getting up and running over to her friend.

"No, not bagels, BANGLES! Those things that Starling is wearing. She told me that everyone from terra Messa had them. I was just wondering why you don't wear yours?" She asked.

Kai's shoulders slumped. "I have my reasons. Just drop it." Kai said looking the other way.

"Well, it's been fun kiddies. I've just got one last thing to do and I'll be off." Arygyn got up from his seat and marched over to Kai.

Kai looked at the man with undisguised disdain.

"Boy, as I said, I can't interfere directly, but I can still do things from the outside. So, here is my last little parting gift." Arygyn grinned and pulled out a familiar looking wooden box from his cloak.

"Don't you dare." Kai hissed.

Arygyns grin just widened.

"I've got no choice. You would never pick _truth_ so dare is the only other option I've got left." Opening the box Arygyn produced four silver bangles and attached them to Kai before smacking Kai on the forehead with his crystal staff.

Leaning down, he whispered. "You can not remove them, and they will only come if with the intent of being replaced." He said smirking at Kai's red face. Turing, he waved to the others and walked out the door.

"Well. That was different." Rondana said still slightly confused.

Kai got up and rubbed his legs for a second to get feeling back into them before cracking his back.

"Kai, why didn't you just tell us all this in the first place?" Starling asked. She was still a bit confused, she understood _what_ was happening, she was actually the only one aside from Kai that knew exactly _why_ it was happening. The only thing she still didn't know was why _Kai_ was doing things the way he was.

She did have a few theories, but she wanted to be sure.

Kai looked down at the four bands of silver now on his arms before looking back up. "It's for the best. I don't want other to pay just for being associated with me, and I didn't want to get anyone else in trouble. This way everything kept going and everyone was ok." Kai said with a shrug.

"_But what about you?"_ Starling thought. She noticed that his eyes kept drifting down to his bangles. _"Don't tell me he still…ugh, Kai you really haven't changed have you?"_ Starling thought shaking her head.

"Well, that's everything. I haven't got anything else other than the same kind of stuff you keep private. If nobody needs me I'm going to bed." Kai said walking out of the room and shutting the hatch behind him.

End Chapter 19

AN: Well wha'ch guys think? Cool twist huh? The Council is not only sending bounty hunters after Kai, but their trying to get rid of Starling as well. What will happen next chapter? Find out in.

"A Start, A Glimpse, a New Beginning!"

As for the whole bangles thing, it was a stray thought that came to me. I was watching 'Storm Hawks Seven' when I noticed that Starling has three. Two on one arm, and one on the other. So I asked myself, why does she only have 3? Why not 4? Then after snooping around I found that she was the only person in the show wearing them.

Starling = Only person with bangles.

Starling = Only person in show from terra Messa.

Me + imagination

Bangles = Terra Messa tradition.

Anyways, please review!

Till next time, Ja Ne!


	20. A Start, A Glimpse, A New Beginning!

Winds of Change.

Chapter 20: A Start, A Glimpse, A New Beginning!

AN: Well, here it is. The final chapter of Book I. It's kinda strange. I've been on this site now for 3 years, but I only started writing a few months ago. I never imagined myself actually writing anything, much less a multi chapter story that people actually enjoy. So, I wanted to thank those of you that have supported me so far, especially MissDedodakes, who has reviewed every chapter for all of my stories so far, and Arashi21 who got me hooked in the first place. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter as much as the previous 19, and I hope that you will continue reading my work.

So, please accept my deepest thanks. To all of you who helped me get this far. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I do not own Storm Hawks, and never will, also I do not own anything related to Legend of the Dragoon or Legend of Zelda. They are the property of Asaph "Ace" Fipke and made by Nerd Corps Entertainment, Sony Entertainment and Nintendo, however I DO own Kai, Rose, the Shadow crystal, and this story.

Shadow and Griffy are the property of ShadowQueen25

Tigger belongs to Narrator01

Marina is Star Wars Nut's

Rondana was made by and owned by MissDedodakes

Oh, and one last IMPORTANT NOTE! I am NOT making everybody in this story 'psychic' nor am I making them all 'sensitive' or anything of that nature. There will be several points in this series that will not make sense at the time, but trust me, I've got it planned out, and in the end, it will all make sense. Until then, you'll just have to try and figure out what is happening on your own.

The group just stood there for a few seconds, none of them moving an inch. Griffy and Radarr were still fighting over the bagels, and Shadow was still trying to break the two up. The rooms other five occupants were doing pretty good impressions of statues at the moment.

"So." Tigger said breaking the silence. "What do we do now? We have the mission to do, but I don't think we'll be seeing any more of Kai this morning, or the rest of the day…." Tigger said tapping her chin.

Starling shook her head for a second to clear her thoughts before speaking. "We still need to prepare. Kai set this up for us to leave in no less than seven days minimum. We may have moved that timeframe up a bit, but we still need to get ready."

She then reached into her pocket and pulled out the map book. "Shadow, do you still have you map?" She asked.

"Griffy! This is your last warning. Drop the bagels now!" Shadow shouted trying to pull the bag from her friend's beak.

"Shadow? Do you have the map?" Starling said a bit louder.

"Huh? Hey UGF!" The second Shadow turned her head Griffy took off with the bag, sending Shadow to the floor.

"Ow." Shadow said getting up and dusting herself off. "Yeah, I've still got the map. Why?" She asked.

"Because I need you to take Rondana to the supply area and show her around a bit." Starling replied.

"What about us?" Piper asked indicating herself, Tigger, and Marina.

Starling looked at the other two. "Can you ride skimmers? Or just heliscooters and blades?" She asked in a serious voice.

"Uh…I CAN fly a skimmer; I just don't like them." Tigger replied crossing her arms.

"I've flown a few times, not many, but I can do ok as long as it's nothing too extreme." Piper answered.

Starling nodded her head. "Good, that means we don't have to give you flying lessons. Tigger, I don't really know what Kai is planning as far as transportation, but I think he has that already planned out. Why don't you go with Shadow and Rondana in case they need an extra hand?"

Tigger nodded happily as she rushed over to her friend.

"Now, as for you Piper, I believe you said something about needing to find the terra's that we will be going to correct?"

Piper nodded. "I've translated the names, but I still have to figure out where they are. It shouldn't take me long, if I had a few charts it would help." Piper said with a sigh. "It's just that I haven't had time to actually sit down and work it all out. I don't need any help, but a day or two of quiet time would be appreciated." She added meekly.

Starling pulled out her map and looked over the small guide at the front. "Well, he does have a study and library; there might be a few maps or charts you could use. And it's a fair distance from anything else, so it should be quiet." Starling said looking over the map again.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but where does that leave me?" Marina asked crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall.

"Well, you can either help the others pack, or give Piper a hand, which would you prefer?" Starling asked trying to avoid the fact she couldn't remember the woman's name.

Marina thought it over a bit before deciding. "I guess I'll help Piper, she's the only one on this tub I even know, and I'm not half bad with a map." Marina said with a shrug.

The two groups then went their separate ways. Shadow, leading Tigger and Rondana to the ships aft, and Starling leading Piper and Marina to the ships center.

"Why do you think Kai has his study in the middle of the ship?" Piper asked curiously.

"Well, I'm guessing that he laid this base out the way he did for a reason. If he's been here for a year then he's had time to plan and move things around." Marina offered.

It only took a few minutes but they reached the room. Starling twisted the hatch and all three were surprised to feel a blast of warm air rush out to greet them.

Getting inside they shut the hatch behind them.

"Wow! Look at all these!" Piper squealed at seeing the shelves full of old maps and charts. There was even a wall map larger than the one in Kai's room off to one side.

The room was very much different from the rest of the ship. For one thing it was much warmer and seemed to be more hospitable than anywhere else they had been.

"Why would this be the best room in his base?" Piper asked setting down the two books she had been carrying onto a very large wooden desk.

"Well, think about it. What's the nicest room on the Condor?" Marina asked.

"Uh, I guess the kitchen. But what does that have to do with…ohhhh I get it. I bet this is where he spends the most time. That's why it's so much nicer than his room." Piper said proud at her discovery.

And it was true. The room was very nice. About the same size as the Condor's bridge, it was very well lit. Several dozen Solaria crystal's lit the room while at the same time heating it. The floor was an old style of carpet, but it seemed to absorb the room's heat making the floor just as warm as the air.

Aside from the many, many rows of shelves, there was also a sofa, a few lounge chairs, a large desk, and two smaller desks.

"Well, I guess I better get to work." Piper said opening the book to the front before pulling her own translation copy out and setting it down beside the other.

"What can I do?" Marina asked, still looking around the large room.

"Well, I need a few minutes to set everything up, but I guess you could try to figure out how he has these things organized, that would help me out a lot." Piper replied. Looking up, she saw Starling walk over to the sofa and lay back on it. She didn't close her eyes however, so she knew the woman was not sleeping.

"_I guess she's still trying to figure out what to do. I can't really blame her though, I'm just glad she's doing as well as she is."_ She couldn't help the small smile the spread across her face just then. _"It's no wonder Kai looks up to her, she really is amazing."_

Marina, at this time was going around the room trying to help. She had yet to figure out just how the maps had been organized. There was a pattern, she just couldn't understand it. On one shelf there would be several old maps, along with a few new ones, so they weren't divided by age or type because several were topographic while one or two in the same batch would be road maps. The only thing she could figure was that they were clumped by terra. Why they were in the order they were in however, was beyond her.

Piper was quite pleased with her findings. The large desk had stands so that a book could be sit upright built into its frame. There was also an ink well, several different sized quills and a drawer full of blank parchment.

"_He really went all out with this thing. I wonder where he got it from?"_ Piper thought it over for a second, but then remembering some of what she had just learned; decided she didn't really want to know.

Marina then walked up to her with a rather sour expression. "I can't figure out how he's got this place set up. It's not alphabetical, nor is it map type. All I can tell you is that he's got them divided by terra. Aside from that, who knows?" Marina said shrugging her shoulder.

Piper thought back to the map in Kai's room, then looked at the large one behind her. It wasn't the same map, it looked like any normal map, a flattened globe, rather than having terra Deep at its center. But it did have the same series of numbers beside each terra. One set of numbers on each side. It took a minute, but she figured it out.

"I think this is his index." Piper said pointing at the wall. "See this set of numbers here? They start with a letter; maybe it's which case the maps are stored in." She said looking at the older woman to see if she agreed.

"Well, if that's the case, then you shouldn't really need anymore help would you?" Marina asked, the expression on her face was still serious, but not quite as sour. Piper noted.

"Um, are you ok? I mean, you just seem a bit off." Piper asked cautiously.

Marina looked over her shoulder at the woman on the couch. "I'm ok, just a bit worried. Your friend over there looks like she's about ready to snap, and that could be a liability for us."

Piper bit her lip. "Starling's one of the best we've got. She just needs a little time to find her feet again. She just had the floor yanked out from under her you know." Piper said as reassuringly as she could.

Marina looked back at the older woman before pulling up a second chair to the desk. _"I hope your right Piper, I really do."_

While this was going on, Starling was staring blankly at the ceiling. She could hear Piper and the woman she now knew to be Marina speaking, but she wasn't really listening, her mind was racing a mile a minute and it was taking everything she had to keep it together.

"_I can't…I can't believe the Council…why would they do such a thing? First the bounty on Kai, then this. It just doesn't make any sense. Do they really see Kai as that big of a threat? He's never done anything to make them think he was a threat before, why now? What happened to make him…"_ Starling's eyes widened. _"The break in! Of course! That's what this must be about. Kai did something that worried them, something that they were so frightened by, that they no longer viewed him as a potential threat, but a certain one."_ Getting up she picked up the book that Arygyn had given her and flipped it to the page that contained what was basically her death sentence.

"_This was signed nearly a year ago…that's about the same time the mysterious break in at the archives occurred."_ Starling furrowed her brows at this. _"Could it have been…did Kai threaten them because he found out about this?"_

That line of thinking did make some sense. _"I know he's protective of his friends, but how far would he go?"_ Starling felt a cold shiver run from her spine to her toes. _"That must be what happened. Somehow Kai found out about this and threatened them, that's why they put the bounty on him. They had no more use for me and were going to toss me to the wolves. Kai found out about it and now he has a bounty on his head."_ She actually almost felt sorry for the old men. She knew first hand just how scary Kai could be when he wanted to. Illusion powers combined with a child that grew up on a frequently attack terra, that also had an odd attraction to horror movies was a bad mix.

"_But what do I do now? I can't just act like nothing is wrong. But at the same time, Kai is right. The people need stability; they need something to keep them going."_ Starling groaned softly. _"Why cant things ever be simple in life?"_ She thought.

In the storage area.

Shadow and Tigger were chatting as they walked around. Shadow would point out what was where and told them what she knew if they asked her anything, but for the most part she was catching up with her friend.

Tigger noticed however that something was wrong with Rondana. The woman was never extremely talkative, but she had never been this quiet either. "Ok Rondana, what's on your mind?" She asked as the older teen dug through a random container.

"What do you mean?" Rondana asked looking back at the shorter girl.

"Oh come on! I've watched you go through that same box five times in the last ten minutes. Either you're looking for your contact lenses, or something's bugging you."

Rondana turned to look at the younger teen before crossing her arms. "I'm just trying to understand why Kai has completely lost his marbles." She said shaking her head.

"What are you talking about? Kai doesn't have any marbles, and even if he did, why would that worry you?" Shadow asked now in better spirits thanks to her friend.

Tigger snickered. "It's an expression. She means that Kai's gone crazy, you know, cucu for Coco Puffs?" Tigger said pushing he glasses up.

"Oh…I still don't get it." Shadow said sitting down on a large container.

Rondana sighed. "Look, I understand what Kai is trying to do, but all that stuff about how he builds skimmers and reads is a load of bull. No person can stand total isolation, no matter how driven they are."

"But Starling has lived alone for over a year now, and she seems fine enough." Tigger pointed out.

"Actually, she does drop by the Condor a few times every month or so, usually for a day or two. So she's not always alone." Shadow corrected.

"See? That's what I mean. Nobody is that strong mentally or emotionally." Rondana said joining Shadow by sitting on an adjacent container.

"So what's your point?" Shadow asked.

"My point is that Kai must be under a tremendous amount of stress, and that is bad for both the body and the mind. He must be doing something to work it off, which is good, but whatever it is, it won't work forever." The young doctor said leaning back to rest her head.

"Ok, let's just say that does happen, what's the worst case possible?" Tigger asked hopping up and sitting down between the two.

"Worst case? He goes into a berserker state of rage and attacks anything that he comes across for no other reason than to fight. That coupled with what I know he is capable of, is bad news." Rondana replied coolly.

Tigger and Shadow shivered.

"Ok, let me rephrase that. What's the most likely result?" Tigger asked gulping.

Rondana thought for a few seconds before answering. "That would be difficult to predict I'm afraid. Kai seems to keep things bottled up, which is bad. But at the same time he still trusts people and does have some close friends, so he's not going into a total tailspin yet."

Tigger wiped her brow. "Whew, you had me scared there for a moment." Tigger said smiling.

"Of course, should anything happen to somebody that he is close too, then there would be a major problem." Rondana added.

Tigger and Shadow's faces fell at that remark.

Piper was digging through the maps, making sure to be as careful as possible with some of the older ones. In any other situation she would have been as giddy as a kid in a candy shop. But with things the way that they were, she was ready to start pulling out her hair.

True, she had figured out Kai's system, but it was so completely different from what she was used to that she had half a mind to pull everything out and reorganize it from the ground up, and make it like every other library on Atmos.

While this was happening, Marina was reading over the notes that Piper had made earlier. There was quite a bit that she found interesting, but for the most part it was pretty boring. Just a plain old logbook, no different that the thousands of others she had seen. Growing board, she decided to look around a bit and see if there was anything to keep her awake in the room.

Most of the books were old, and few were in any language she recognized. She knew a fair bit of Ancient, and could read it if given time, but these books were something else entirely, something she had never seen before. One book however did catch her attention.

It was a series of what looked like ancient schematics. _"If any mechanic got their hands on this."_ She thought shaking her head she put the book back, and picked up another.

This one was strange in that it was only half of a book. It had been ripped clearly down the middle, but had no tare marks, meaning it had been cut with something _very _sharp.

Flipping through it she wasn't too surprised to find that it was about the Ancients. It seemed to be a record of their battles and various heroes. Slightly disappointed, she was about to put it up when she saw the back of the last page.

And dropped it to the ground.

It was a picture, a single picture, and only half of one at that. All she could see was a black armored arm, black armored leg, half of an armored body.

And one very large, green translucent wing.

Several days passed. Piper continued working on her charts and maps, Marina had literally torn the room upside down looking for the other half of the book, only to be told by Kai that that was all that he had found, the other half was missing, and Starling had taken to the ships gym.

The other group had continued gathering supplies and did their best to keep the others in one piece. Shadow and Tigger helped Marina in going through every book in the library, while Rondana stayed with Starling to make sure the woman didn't hurt herself, which was difficult when she reached the weight lifting equipment.

Five days had passed, five days of preparation before Kai called everyone to the main hanger.

"Ok, first, I wanted to thank you for agreeing to help me. But I need to make absolutely sure that you are willing to do this. If any of you feel even the least bit hesitant, you are free to leave now." Kai had a small smile on his face when nobody left.

"Ok, time for you to see your new home." Kai said hitting a switch on the wall, which lowered the platform they were all standing on.

"AHH! Kai! How about a warning next time!" Piper shouted.

Tigger and Shadow snickered.

"Aw, but where would be the fun in that?" Kai asked with a grin.

This caused the two to laugh, and even managed to make both Rondana and Marina grin.

When they reached the bottom, it was pitch black, but soon a series of lights cut on from the back of the room.

"Piper has been here before, but none of you have. This is my workshop and primary hanger." Kai said with more than just a little pride.

Marina whistled, while Shadow and Tigger gawked.

"This is what you've been doing for the last year?" Tigger asked wide-eyed at the site.

Kai shrugged his shoulders. "Got to do something with my free time. And reading too long just give me a headache." He replied.

"So we're supposed to live in a hanger? How are we supposed to track down the ship from inside a hanger?" Tigger asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Your new home is _in_ the hanger, not the hanger itself."

Walking over to the middle of the hanger he held out one hand towards what seemed to be an empty spot and smiled. "So? What do you think?" He asked.

The others exchanged looks.

"Uh, Kai, look, I know you've been under a lot of stress lately, but…don't you think you should see a doctor…or better yet, a whole team of doctors?" Shadow asked as kindly as she could.

Kai's shoulders slumped. "Everybody's a critique these days." He muttered before pulling out his staff and striking the 'empty' area.

The effect was a bright purple flash followed by what looked like ripples flowing over a bubble.

"Don't always trust your eyes." Kai said with a grin.

Seconds later the ripples stopped and something that looked like a large purple bubble opened at the top and lowered in a dome shape.

The previously 'empty' air was now filled by a ship.

It looked like two boxes at a slight angle that were connected to a third box in the middle. The two boxes on the sides had four very large engines, two on each side and had several thrusters that lined the sides and bottom. It wasn't very large, only about four times the size of the Condor's bridge, but it was a ship.

"What a piece of junk." Shadow said suddenly.

Everyone turned to her with a slight glare, except Kai who looked somewhere between offended and wounded.

"Oops didn't mean to say that out loud." Shadow said with a nervous smile.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't going for looks anyways. It works and that's all that matters." Kai replied.

"Uh, is this thing safe to fly?" Tigger said inspecting the hull.

"Oh come on! You know I'm a good mechanic. It's called camouflage. I made it look like a heap so nobody would waste their time trying to steal it or blast it." Kai said with a slight pout.

Walking up to the ship he hit something on the bottom which cause a large platform to lower and a hatch to open on the side.

"All the supplies go on the lift, don't worry about breaking it I made it Finn proof." Kai said with a smile.

"Why are we using a landing craft? I thought we were just going to be using skimmers?" Marina asked looking at the ship with a bit of trepidation.

"Well, it's easier to move around in a freighter and not draw attention than it is to move around with a squadron of skimmers. Not to mention the other benefits." Kai said knowingly.

"Other benefits?" Marina asked raising an eyebrow.

"Marina, if we went by skimmer, it would take longer, we wouldn't be able to carry as much supplies, AND!....we wouldn't have a bathroom." Kai said proudly holding up his index finger like a teacher.

"Uh, I'm with Kai on that one." Shadow said quickly.

Starling rolled her eyes with a scoff, but couldn't help but thank her former charge mentally. _"I've been on extended missions before, not much fun going weeks at a time without a shower or indoor plumbing."_

"Shadow, Marina, could you two start transferring the equipment? I need to show the others something inside." Kai asked.

Marina shrugged her shoulders and Shadow nodded before the two went back to the lift and went up to get the supplies.

"Alright, everyone else follow me." Kai said leading the others inside the ship.

"Ok, so it's not a total heap." Tigger said pushing up her glasses as she inspected the ships interior.

And it was true. Despite the outside looking like a wreck, the inside was what one would expect the inside of a freighter to look like. It didn't have any holes or exposed wires; it didn't even look like it had been used from the inside.

"Ok, Tigger, there is a small hanger in the back, that's where the skimmers are going to be kept. Could you take a look and make sure nothing is missing?" Kai asked.

Tigger nodded and went towards where the hanger would normally be found on a freighter.

"I guess you want me to check the infirmary right?" Rondana said in a dull tone of voice.

Kai grinned. "Thanks, you two, to the bridge." Kai said walking to the front.

Piper wasn't too surprised. The bridge was a bit small, but there was nothing strange about that. She did notice that there were two additional seats however, making it four instead of the standard two.

"What's with the extra seats?" She asked pointing at the two that were off to each side.

"Weapons." Kai replied.

"Weapons?!" Piper spun to face the teen on her heel.

"Yeah, that's what I said. You think I would fly an unarmed ship in a mission?" Kai asked raising an eyebrow.

"Piper shot him a dry look. "What I meant was that I didn't see any on the outside."

"Well duh. Their concealed. It would be hard to pass this off as a freighter if it had visible weapons on it." Kai replied walking over to the seats.

"Ok, this thing wasn't built with a navigator in mind, does it have enough room or do you need us to make some changes?" Kai asked suddenly serious.

Piper looked around the bridge with a critical eye. "It'll do. I've gotten by with less, so don't worry." She replied with a grin.

"Ok then, go get your stuff and set up. I'll be out there helping in a few, I just need to speak with Star for a minute." Kai said nodding towards the exit.

Piper walked out of the room, curious about what he would need to speak to her about in private, but she respected their privacy and left.

This time.

When Kai was sure that the younger teen was out of earshot, he turned to his friend with a mournful expression.

"Star…I'm sorry…I…I tried to help out…but…I just didn't want you getting hurt you know?"

Starling looked at her former charge with a blank face. "I know what you were trying to do. Again, I thank you for trying to help. I know you were doing your best, but…you still could have told me. You know that I would have believed you." She said slightly hurt.

Kai was silent for a few moments, wanting to word what he was about to say carefully. "I know that you would have believed me, but I…I just wanted to make sure that you were safe…and that…nothing happened." Kai said slumping slightly.

Neither one spoke for a few minutes. Starling was still trying to come to terms with what she had found out, and Kai was just trying to figure out what to do or say.

"Look, Star, I don't mind doing those missions for you. Really, there not that hard. I usually just dress up like a random Cyclonian, go in and blow something up. I know that they are your missions, but…" Kai struggled to find the words he was looking for, but Starling interrupted him.

"I understand, but right now….right now I don't want to talk about it. I just need time to get my head straightened out. We'll talk about it then, but for now, please don't bring it up." She asked before giving a rueful smile. "I want you to know that I do appreciate you doing this for me though." With that she left the bridge, and closed the door behind her.

Kai stood in the now empty bridge and looked around for a moment before closing his eyes he growled before punching the bulkhead as hard as he could. "It's not fair." He hissed. "Why can't they just leave her alone?" Taking several deep breaths to calm down he retracted his fist. "I promised that I would end this before she got hurt anymore." A second passed before he clutched his now stinging hand. "Maybe….maybe if we find this ship." Kai shook his head and went to the controls, prepping the ship for launch.

On the other side of the door, a lone figure leaned close to the narrow opening. She had a small smile on her face, one that was both rueful and honestly happy.

"_So that's how he keeps going. I bet he doesn't even realize what it is."_ She thought shaking her head.

"Hey Rondana! How about giving me a hand here!" Piper shouted from down the hall as she struggled to hold up a rather heavy looking box.

Rondana smiled before replying.

"Sure thing."

It took them the rest of the day, but they managed to do it. The ship was in fact larger than it looked. Easily fitting seven skimmers as well as supplies for the crew.

The two 'boxes' that made up the sides were two of the ships only five rooms. On the one side were three bunk beds and a few lockers. The other side was a small kitchenette. Aside from those there was the bridge, hanger and bathroom.

"Um, Kai…where are you going to sleep?" Shadow asked when they reached the final room of the ship, the quarters.

"The bridge." He replied.

"Kai, we're not going to let you sleep in a chair while we have beds for ourselves." Rondana said going into her 'doctor mode'.

Chuckling Kai turned to the young woman. "There are so many openings in that one it's not even funny." He said to a now red Rondana. "But seriously, the chair's not that bad. I got it thinking I would be sitting in it for days at a time. It's actually pretty comfy." He said grinning.

"Well, if everything's set, we should get some sleep. Tomorrow is launch time, and we should leave before sunrise." Starling said yawning.

"I'm with her, time to hit the hay." Tigger said walking towards the ships exit.

As everyone filled out, they couldn't help but be slightly nervous. Sure, they had all been on dangerous missions before.

But never without their squadron there for them.

Piper had faced death several times, and had even come close to dying twice. But her friends, her family, Aerrow, they had been there for her, to lift up her spirits and keep her going.

Tigger had faced quite a few trials herself. In the passing year she had fought many battles, been in many dangerous situations, and had even been sent to Oblivion. But through all of those times, she had the Rock Hearts, and particularly Aladd to thank for getting through those.

Shadow had been forced into living a life of half lies and deceit. She was always on her toes, never knowing when her cover might get blown, when her secret would get out, or who she could really trust. But Aerrow had always comforted her, and the other Storm Hawks had given her a home.

Marina had to return to a broken kingdom, take the throne and try to reestablish her terra. After seven years of serving as a bodyguard, she was thrust into the dark and seedy world of politics, surrounded by cloaked enemy's, false friends, and eyed with suspicion because of her father. But through all this she had the Desert Thieves to protect her, and her friend Naboroou to turn to for support.

Rondana had been forced off the throne and was exiled after doing what she thought was the right thing, what she thought would save her people and her terra from Cyclonia. She had been forced to live as a refugee on her own terra, run from the guards that had once claimed undying allegiance to her, and even hid her existence from the people that she had so dearly loved. She did have her friends though; she was never alone, even when she wanted to be, (thanks to Jim). But she always had some form of help, someone there to aid her in her time of need.

Starling was a different case. For her it was difficult to imagine going on a mission with a full squadron again. While it was true that the Storm Hawks had aided her in the past, but they were short missions, single strikes that took only a few days at most. It had been so long since she had traveled for any lengthy amount of time with a group that she had forgotten what it was like.

And Kai, Kai had only been on a few non solo missions in his life. And those were never for any longer than a few days. He was a loner, a solo fighter. Now, not only was he in a group, but he was in fact the flight lead, the leader. He didn't like the idea of people looking to him as anything more than a fighter or at most a trainer. While the others were simply nervous or jittery, Kai was actually more than just a tad bit fearful. If anything happened to his crew on this mission, he knew that he would have two Sky Knight squadrons, half the Cyclonian air force, and a deranged doctor on his rear, all calling for his head.

Shadow got up slowly. She wasn't quite sure what was happening, but she was aware of two things.

One she was hurting. Bad.

And two. She was cold. Very, very cold.

Looking up she saw that she was in a large stone building that appeared to be somewhere in the mountains. Looking down at her hands, she saw that they were in a very thick pair of gloves, and that she was wearing a matching flight suit, like the ones that the Zero's wore.

"Come on! We have to hold him back! We can't let him get through!"

Shadow looked towards the voice that she vaguely recognized to be Marina's, and gaped.

Before her was Marina with her twin Scimitars activated, trying her best to fight some sort of….creature for lack of better words.

It moved so fast that she could barely get a look at it. All that she knew was that it was black, and it moved faster than any skimmer she had ever seen.

It moved about the large room, which easily dwarfed Cyclonis's palace, with a pair of green translucent wings.

It didn't take her long to figure out where it was moving however. The wings gave off a peculiar sound as it flew by, sounding like a cross between fireworks and an angry rattlesnake.

Its target seemed to be a large stone door.

A door that was being guarded by Marina and Piper.

"_What's going on? Where am I? Where are the others?"_ She thought looking around franticly.

"**Get out of my way!"** The creature roared.

"Not happening!" Marina shouted as she fired several crystal blasts at the creature.

"**You seriously believe you can defeat me? I've wiped out army's of beings more powerful than you!"** It shouted as it easily dodged the shots.

"You're just scared because you know what we're guarding!" Piper shouted as she sent a large wave of crackling white energy at the creature.

The creature ducked behind one of the many columns that were inside the building and allowed it to take the blow.

"**And you! You of all people to think they can ARG!"**

"Never let your guard down!" Marina shouted as she jumped to evade the creatures counter attack.

"**GRRAAGH ENOUGH OF THIS! ATTACK!"** The creature shouted not so much in pain as irritation.

Shadow watched as a large blotch appeared under the creature, almost like a shadow, extended outward in every direction. Seconds later dozens of beings rose up from the shadow, creatures that Shadow recognized instantly.

"Nightcrawlers." The word came out so quietly that even she herself could barely hear it.

The Nightcrawlers didn't hesitate for even a second. They launched themselves at the two women and attacked.

"_I've got to help them."_ Shadow thought as she pulled her crystal ax free and jumped into the fray without a second thought.

"Shadow! What are you doing here! You're supposed to be with the others!" Marina shouted as she blocked two attackers from each side.

Shadow was about to respond when the entire room was shaken by an explosion, sending Marina and Piper clear across the other side of the room.

Most of the Nightcrawlers hadn't been so lucky. Being caught in the blast, they had been reduced to shreds if not vaporized completely.

The creature itself landed in the center of the room, and its wings folded up neatly across its back.

It made no further movement. It merely stood there, arms crossed with a scowl on its face.

"**You FOOL! Do you have any idea what you have done?!"** It shouted.

Shadow shook her head, trying to clear out the fog. She had been close to the wall when it exploded, and unlike the others, she had been thrown into a column not far away from where she had been standing.

The edges of her vision was dimming, and black lines seemed to be running towards the center. She knew this was bad and that she only had a few seconds before she would be out cold.

_Thud_

_Thud_

_Thud_

Using the last of her strength, she turned her body on its side, and looked towards the gaping hole in the wall, trying to peer into it.

The room was pitch black, and fog seemed to be rolling out from the hole. She could also feel a rush of warm air pass over her, like standing in front of a warm oven opening.

Then, from the depths of the room, she saw movement. She couldn't make out what it was, but it was moving towards her.

She watched as a clawed hand reached out of the darkness and grabbed hold of the wall for balance. It was black, and covered with shiny scales.

Following the hand, she found herself drawn to a pair of piercing blue eyes. Eyes that seemed to focus on her.

As her vision finally sank into complete darkness, she heard a sound that made her skin crawl and bones shudder. It was a howling shriek that seemed to cut through the air like a sword.

Her last thought was confusion as to why the creature was so angry at her.

"_SHADOW!"_

Shadow sat upright as quickly as she could, hands clinched at her chest. It took her a few seconds to calm down and catch her breath. Her attention was quickly drawn to her roommate however, who seemed to be in the middle of a nightmare.

Quickly, she jumped up and ran to Marina's side and shook her while calling out her name, trying to wake her.

Looking around, Marina found herself on dark and desolate landscape. The only thing as far as the eye could see was rock. Rock, rock and more rock. No trees, no animals, not even a cloud in the sky. Looking around she saw a large crevice not too far away from her.

Something about it seemed to draw her; it felt like a child tugging on her wrist, pulling her.

"_Where am I? Last thing I remember was…falling asleep in my bed. Is this…is this another vision?"_ Deciding to play along for now, she followed the tug and went into the crater willingly.

"_What is going on? Why does it fell so hot?"_ She noticed that the walls were glowing a faint reddish orange color, and could feel heat radiate from every direction, even her feet.

"_What happened here? Something is wrong."_ Marina felt a familiar pain in her stomach, like something was trying to claw its way out and get away, far away.

"They are too close. I need more time."

Marina stopped cold at hearing the muffled echoing voice. It seemed familiar, but at the same time it wasn't. Creeping forward her eyes widened.

Before her was an enormous, brightly lit cavern, the likes of which she had never seen.

Lava seemed to be bleeding from the walls and cascaded downwards into slowly flowing river. The heat was making the air wavy, and the air was heavy with the smell of brimstone, nearly causing her to gag.

Looking around, she quickly spied a trail that ran along the wall leading downwards, into the river. Something was down there, what she didn't know, but she could see the movement. Checking back to see if she was being followed, she slowly descended.

"Ah there you are."

Marina once again froze, fearing that she had been spotted. A few seconds passed and the voice spoke again.

"After all this time, your heart still beats? That is good. "

Marina looked around, trying to locate the source of the voice. But all she could see was lava and rock. Though she did notice one particularly formation that seemed to glow faintly. It wasn't much, just a flicker, but it was there.

Creeping closer she felt her strength leaving her. She was used to heat, but not like this. Every inch of her body was covered with sweat, almost giving her a sheen. _"Now I know what it feels like to be in a cooking pot."_ She mused.

_Step_

_Step_

_Step_

Looking up, she saw someone approaching her. Whoever it was, they were in no hurry. In fact, the person was taking their time. They were walking at a rather comfortable pace, eyes surveying the area, not even paying attention to what was in front of them.

Marina quickly drew her twin scimitars and launched her attack, bringing her blades down in the shape of an X.

Only to pass through him like he wasn't even there.

Marina stopped and looked up. _"It's just like the last time; I can't do anything at all."_ She thought.

She was surprised to find the black cloaked figure staring at her. She couldn't see his face because of the hood, but she could tell by his stance that he was surprised. That lasted only for a moment however as he shook his head and continued moving, walking through her like a ghost. She did hear him speak however.

"Feh, nothing but a ghost. Run along child, leave this place if you wish to live."

Marina's eyes widened. "You can see me?" She asked.

He stopped for a moment and turned towards her. "I can do much more than just see you."

To prove his point he quickly shot out his hand and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her a foot off the ground.

"Yes, I can do much, much more Dragmire." He said with a slight chuckle.

Marina was gasping for breath, fighting just to breath. _"He's stronger than a Wallop! I don't know how much longer I can…stay…awa."_

"Leave now while you still can. Stay and you shall die." With that he threw her over the side, towards the river of lava.

"AAAAHHH!"

"AHHH!"

Marina jumped and looked down to her side, where she saw a very concerned and extremely frightened Shadow, who had fallen flat on her backside.

"Are you ok?!" Shadow asked from the ground.

Marina groaned as she felt a headache coming on and reached on hand up to her face. Once again, she noticed that she was covered in sweat.

"Yeah, I'm….I'm fine. Just had a bad dream." She said croaked. Quickly getting up, she reached down and offered Shadow a hand. "Sorry about that. I'm just not used to people being that close by when I wake up." She said.

Shadow grabbed Marina's hand and hoisted herself up. "No prob, just glad you didn't send me crashing into a wall." She said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Marina chuckled. "Well, there's always next time." She replied with a smile.

The two gathered their things, and an hour later found themselves in the hanger from yesterday, along with the others. Neither one mentioning their odd dream to the other, or anyone else.

Shadow noticed that nobody looked particularly well rested. In fact, she doubted any of them had slept last night at all. They were moving slowly and yawning ever so often.

"Final check. Everything set?" Kai shouted from on top of the ship.

"All the supplies are tied down!" Shadow called out as she shut the ships back hanger door.

"Good! Tigger, how are things on your end?" He shouted.

Tigger looked up from where she was sitting on top of one of the ships 'wings'. "Almost ready, just making a few last minute checks. This bird hasn't seen any action in a while, and I don't want it to drop like a stone after take off….at least not while I'm on it!" She shouted back.

Shadow and Piper snickered while Marina, Rondana and Starling rolled their eyes, but they did smile at the small joke.

A few minutes later Tigger pronounced the ship 'as air worthy as it would ever be' and they boarded the ship.

"Uh…you guys might want to strap in." Kai warned.

"Oh come on. How fast can this tub go? It's just a freighter." Rondana said crossing her arms.

"Actually, this thing can go pretty fast. I'd strap in if I were you."

Everyone turned towards Tigger, who was sitting in a chair with two seat belts crisscrossing her shoulders and one across her waist.

Shadow's eyes widened and she quickly followed suit.

"What are you talking about? Kai told us this thing's a freighter himself, and you told us the same thing." Piper said as she slowly got into a seat and buckled in, just as a precaution.

"The body's a freighter, but the engines were taken from a Cyclonian Destroyer. It would be like putting the Condor's engines on a skimmer." Tigger said gripping the arm rests.

Piper's eyes became the size of dinner plates as memories from last years 'Great Race' flashed across her mind.

"Ya'll ready for some exercise?" Kai asked turning to look over his shoulder.

"Exercise? What kind?" Shadow asked.

Piper's mouth shifted into a grin that would have made Suzi proud had she seen it.

"Lung exercises." She said knowingly.

Kai smirked before turning back and facing forward. Reaching up he flipped two switches.

One opened the massive doors at the end of the hanger.

The second caused the ship to lurch forward a bit but nothing else.

"What was that?" Tigger asked, now worried about the ship falling apart before ever even getting off the ground.

"That was the boot." Kai replied looking over the controls for a moment before gripping a slider by his side.

"Boot? What boot?" Marina asked looking around.

"The one that just latched onto the ships landing gear. Just relax, you'll see in a second.

Looking ahead, he saw that everything was set, and the ship was ready.

"Catapult clear, ready for launch!" Kai shouted slamming the slider forward.

"CatAAPULLLT!!" Tigger shouted before the others screamed.

Kai and Piper screamed out in joy, enjoying the rush.

Marina and Starling shouted out of surprise.

Shadow and Tigger screamed from a mix of fright, surprise and excitement.

And Rondana screamed bloody murder all the while threatening Kai with a lifetime of pain if he pulled another stunt like that.

Radarr and Griffy…well, Shadow was quite shocked by what they had to say, but kept it to herself.

_Terra Mesa_

"Mr. Moss sir, she's not here." Hamish said nervously.

"I can see that." The man replied coolly as he watched his talons search through the one building standing on the entire terra.

"What should we do sir?" Hamish asked looking around.

"Boy, do you evea shut up? We have orders to capture this Sky Knight. If she's not here, then we will wait for her to come back. This is her base, so she'll be coming back eventually.

The two looked up when they heard an approaching skimmer.

Mr. Moss's eyes narrowed. "That's one of ours, but why would it be coming here?" He asked out loud.

Moments later a skimmer came into view. It looked like a Switchblade Elite, but was highly modified. The fact that it was jet black also caught their attention.

When it landed however, there was more than just a little bit of confusion.

The rider was female, that much was known before the pilot dismounted, but beyond that they were confused.

The pilot was wearing a robe that looked identical to the one worn by Master Cyclonis. Dark purple with black trim and a bird shaped cowl that covered her head.

"So it was you." A feminine voice said with a mild dose of venom behind it.

"I don't know who you are little missy. But you aut to hop back on your little bike there and leave if ya know what's best for you." Mr. Moss said sternly.

"If you do not wish to spend the next five weeks in a hospital, you will leave now." The figure responded icily.

"Now I do not wish to attack a lady, but I have my orders. Leave now, or you will be treated as an enemy." He warned.

The figure walked up to the group so that it was now only ten or so feet away and looked up.

The hood 'bloomed' open and peeled back to reveal an attractive dark skinned young woman in her mid twenties with long flowing blue hair. Her face was calm and passive, but a raging fire burned in her dull orange eyes. One that promised much pain to those present.

She calmly reached into her robe and pulled out a familiar looking staff.

It was a foot long and had rows of claws grouped in threes running down its length. Both ends had crystals held in the last set of prong like claws. One was dark blue but had what looked like a thin gold wire wrapped around it. The other was a white and blue crystal that radiated enough power that the talons present had half a mind to turn tail and run.

"Men, attack!" Mr. Moss shouted as he pulled out his whip to attack.

The woman's passive face slid into a familiarly dangerous grin as the staff extended to its full length and she dropped into her stance.

End Chapter 20

End Book I

AN: HAHAHAHA! How many people out there want to gut me like a fish right now? I know its cruel to end it like this, but that just makes the anticipation all the more worthwhile, and trust me, it will be worth it.

Now, I know it took awhile for me to post this, but since this is the first time I have ever finished a story I wanted to go out with a bang. Fear not, this is only the beginning, and much more awaits our team as they search for the ancient ship. I'm not quite sure how long this story is going to be over all, my muse is on the run and she's dragging me with her. Now for some humor.

OMAKE!

Aerrow stood with his mouth wide open as he watched Finn sign off on the large crate.

"Finn! What are you doing! That thing could be a Cyclonian trap! Remember last time we got a package?" He shouted.

Finn waved him off and gave the UPS man a tip before walking back over to his team leader.

"Dude, it's legit. The things from terra Gerudo and its marked as Piper's."

That's beside the point! How do you know it's really from terra Gerudo? Just because it's marked from it? Master Cyclonis could have forged it. And how do you even know its Piper's?" He asked.

Finn pointed at the signs on the large wooden crate.

_Do not open_

_Private property_

_Peek and Die_

"So? How does that mean that it's Piper?" Aerrow asked, still not convinced.

Finn grabbed the paranoid teen by the shoulder and took him to the other side of the crate and pointed out the last, and largest sign.

"Call it a hunch." He said.

_Finn if you open this I'll make you eat you're guitar and every record you own!_

"Oh…I see." Aerrow said sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

"Well, let's see what we've got here." Finn said as he pulled a crowbar from what seemed to be thin air.

"Uh, Finn, are you sure that's such a good idea?" Aerrow asked, slightly worried about what would happen to his friend when, (not if) he got caught.

"Ppthh. Like I'm scared of Piper's threats. She's not really going to make me eat my guitar and records." He said with a grunt as he pried the box open.

"Lets see what she got on terra Gerudo. I bet its some clothes or girly junk." Finn snickered.

His snickering stopped however once the side fell off and the containers contents were visible.

_Silence_

_Silence_

_Silence_

"HAHAHAHAH!" Finn cried out laughing as he fell to the ground and pounded it with his fists.

Aerrow, now curious stepped around to the side to get a better look.

He fought hard to suppress the laughter, but failed and gave in, joining his friend on the floor laughing at the sight.

Junko, slightly worried walked in and found two of his friends laughing like madmen and looked up at the source.

"_I don't get it. What's so funny about a giant stuffed bear?"_ He thought.

End Omake

Yes it's the bear from the festival. I wanted to do this earlier….but I kinda forgot about it.

Anyways, please review, and thank you for reading.

Look for the next installment in the Winds of Change series.

Winds of Change Book II: Distant Thunder!

Till next time, Ja Ne!


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